Brotherhood
by Fun-Sized Kirk
Summary: "I have a brother?" Years ago Ed was in an accident that not only took the life of his mother, but his arm, leg, and memory. Now after learning about the brother that he forgot, Ed leaves his neglectful foster home in search of him. AU, EdWin
1. Ordinary Day

**Hello everyone! FSK here!**

**So after much planning, I finally thought of a good plot for an AU(alternate universe) story. I really hope you like this story because I think this might be one of the best stories I've ever written. Coming up with this story was hard, probably because it's totally different from what I usually do, but once I got the main plot idea down, I just ran with it.**

**Hope you enjoy this!**

* * *

"Mr. Elric…"

Edward let out a loud yawn and rubbed his eyes for what seemed to be the thousandth time that day.

"Mr. Elric…"

Ed was aware that his name was being called but he ignored it; just like how he ignored all of the idiots that had somehow wiggled their way into an Honors class and were now giggling like elementary school kids.

SLAM!

In an attempt to get his attention, his worthless excuse of a teacher let a heavy text book fall onto his desk. Ed didn't even flinch; he was used to this tactic. Ed let out one more, loud yawn, stretched his arms up into the air, and rubbed his eyes one more time before he gave his furious teacher his attention.

"_Yes?"_ He asked in his usual tired and extremely pissed-off tone.

"Mr. Elric, are you aware that this is the _twentieth_ time you fell asleep in my class?"

"Wow; you've been keeping track? Gee, I didn't know you cared that much about me."

Ed grinned at the sound of the gasps, giggles, and groans that erupted in the class. Out of the corner of his eye he saw Winry cover her face and groan. She never did like it when he mouthed off a teacher.

"I will see you after class Mr. Elric," he whispered in a tone that he guessed was supposed to cause fear in students. Ed merely smiled at him before letting out another yawn.

* * *

"Mr. Elric," Mr. Haruko said as the rest of the class left the room.

"Don't you think that we've known each other long enough to be on first-name-bases? Cuz I do George."

"My name's not George," He growled.

"Well…can I call you Geor-?"

"No!" Haruko cleared his throat and tried to regain his 'refined, academic demeanor'. "Mr. Elric-."

"I'd really prefer you call me Ed," he cut in.

"Sit!"

"But I am sitting," Ed said with a smirk. Pissing off teachers was his favorite pastime.

"Then shut the hell up," He growled.

Ed knew at this point he was begging for a detention if not suspension, so he did as told for once and shut up.

"I would like to warn you that if you fall asleep in my class one more time I'm going to put you in ISA for the rest of the day."

_Big threat, _Ed thought._ It's already sixth period._

"Do you understand me?"

Ed looked up and glared at the man in front of him. Ed let their eyes lock for a moment before he put on his usual smirk.

"Crystal clear…_sir._"

"Then you are dismissed."

Ed grabbed his things from his seat and left the room.

"I can't believe you did that!" Winry shrieked as he left the room. Whenever he got in trouble, Winry always waited outside the classroom to eavesdrop.

"And I can't believe that you still eavesdrop on me," He said, as he fought through the crowds of students to get to his locker, causing Winry's face to flush with embarrassment.

"I-I wasn't eavesdropping!"

"Really?" Ed asked as he looked up at her from his spot on the floor as he dug out his Calculus book. "Because that's what it looked like to me."

"I just do it to make sure that you'll be okay!" She huffed while her eyes began to sparkle like they always did whenever she was very passionate about something. "What if you got suspended? You know that he'd send an e-mail to your foster Father and then what? And stop acting like you don't care about what would happen if you did get suspended."

Ed stared into her big blue eyes and sighed as he felt his gut tighten with guilt. He understood exactly why she did this and it made him feel like crap whenever she looked like this: so worried about him that she looked like she was about to cry. Ed ran his left hand through his long and choppy bangs before slamming his locker closed and stood up.

"Come on," he whispered while grabbing her hand with his left. "We're gonna be late."

"Ed…" She whispered as she let him drag her through the hall.

"Just drop it Win. I know that I shouldn't be such a smart ass and I'm very well aware of what will happen if he were to find out."

Winry pulled her hand out of his and stopped him now that the hall was much less crowded. Ed allowed her to steer him to a wall and hold him there by his shoulders. Winry moved one of her hands from his shoulder so that she could grip his chin and moved it so that he would look at her.

"Win…" Ed muttered, hoping that she'd get the message and stop what he knew was coming.

"_No_. It's wrong," she whispered as her eyes began to fill with tears.

"I'll be fine," he muttered as he tried to pry her small hand off of his chin.

"Bullshit!" she yelled causing several passing students and teachers to stare at them.

"Winry," Ed said in a firm tone.

Winry let go off Ed's chin and let her hand fall. Winry made a move to wipe away the tears that had formed in her eyes, but Ed caught her wrist and made her look at him.

"I'm sorry…" he whispered as he wiped the tears away with his hoodie sleeve; he hated seeing her cry over him.

"It's okay," she sniffed.

"Let's get going…We're going to be late."

"Right…"

The two turned and almost ran down the hall to their last class. As they stepped through the doorway, the bell rang. Ed let out an audible sigh and moved to his seat.

* * *

Winry walked Ed to his home like she did every day, even though she lived in the opposite direction.

"You know that you can live with me and Granny," Winry insisted for the millionth time as they approached Ed's street.

"It wouldn't make any sense," Ed said as he always did whenever she'd bring up the idea.

"Why not?" Winry asked even though she knew the answer.

"Because I'm going to be 18 in a few months and it'd be pointless to go to a court and waste months trying to switch guardians when once it's done, I'll probably be 18 already."

"Pointless! It's not pointless if it saves you from that Bastard-!"

"_Winry!_" Ed yelled, stopping her mid-rant. "_Please_, stop worrying about me. In a few months, we'll be laughing about this stuff." He said with a big smirk on his face.

"And you'll stay with me and Granny?" she asked quietly.

"Of course! Now get going."

"Uh, right…" Winry muttered; uncertainty filled her voice.

"What is it Win?" Ed asked.

"…uh"

"Just spit it."

But Winry didn't say anything. Instead she reached up and wrapped her arms around Ed's neck. Ed stood there, too stunned to do anything. It wasn't like Winry didn't hug him or anything-because she did, constantly. No, this felt different. The other hugs had been goodbye hugs, happy birthday hugs, or I'm sorry that bastard hurt you again hug. This…whatever _this_ was…he liked it-a lot. His heart was pounding and blood was rushing to his face. Ed felt his entire body stiffen as she buried her head in the crook of his neck and began to cry silently.

"Win…" He sighed as he gently wrapped his left arm around her waist.

"I-I'm s-s-sorry…I c-can't help it…y-you sh-shouldn't have t-to…"

"I said that it'll be alright Winry. You just have to hold on for a few more months and then everything will be alright. I promise."

"Y-Yeah…"

Winry let go of Ed and backed away from him. Ed felt his heart tug as he watched her wipe the tears away.

"Now are you okay?"

"Y-Yeah…I'll be fine."

"You sure that you don't want me to walk you home?"

"Ed…" she said with a small smile on her face. "That'd be counterproductive. I can just walk."

"Alright. See you later then."

"Right…bye."

Winry turned to leave and began walking down the street. Ed watched her go and as she rounded the corner, Winry turned around and waved to him, just as she had always done for years. Ed waved back and turned to walk the last few feet to his house.

Ed's home was located on the outer ends of the town where the houses were more run down looking. From the outside, it looked like any two-story house, but inside held the reason for many years of sleepless nights, the reason for Ed's unhappiness, and the reason for Winry's crying.

Ed took a deep breath and opened the front door. That man's car was in the drive but Ed could always hope that he was asleep.

"Finally home ya dumbass?" the man's voice came from the kitchen.

Ed let out his held breath and closed the door behind him. All he could hope for was that he was in a good mood and merely wanted to verbally abuse him today.

"Yeah," He answered back.

"Good…cuz I've had a shitty day!" he barked from the next room.

Ed let his book bag fall to the ground and kicked it into the corner. After tossing his red and black hoodie onto the coat rack, Ed readied himself for what was to come.

* * *

**So...what do you think so far? Please Tell me what you think and if you have an idea, I will take it into consideration because I'm still a little fuzzy with the later plot.**

**Hope to see You soon! Please Review this to up my confidence levels! :D**

**-FSK**


	2. Home Sweet Home

**Happy New Year Everyone!**

**Oh My God I love you guys! 9 reviews! You guys make me _so _happy! You guys almost doubled my record! (five...)**

**I have an announcement! Would the owner of the screen name 'lalala' _PLEASE _get an account? You review for _both _of my stories, are the first to review for this story, and I can't even thank you for it! Get. An. Account. NOW! A****nd if you get an account and change your screen name, please tell me that it's you so I don't think that you've abandoned me...**

**Anyways...hope you love this chapter! :)**

* * *

Winry stood at the corner, deeply lost in thought.

_He kept wincing in gym today,_ She thought as she stared off into the busy street. _I wonder what else he's hiding from me…Should I go back…? No. He'd be furious if I did. Go off ranting on how it wasn't safe, how he'd hurt me…but does he care for his own safety? Noooo._

"Excuse me miss," A voice said from behind her.

"Uh y-yes?" she said worriedly. How long had she zoned out?

"Are you planning on moving anytime soon?"

"Oh, uh yes. S-sorry."

Winry quickly ran a crossed the street before she slowed her pace and went back into her thoughts

* * *

Ed stepped over several piles of garbage as he walked over to the archway that led to the kitchen and took a deep breath before he entered the room.

_He _sat at the dingy table that was always covered with bills, newspapers, and sales adds; Ed was sure that if you were brave enough to dig to the very bottom of the pile, you'd find a paper with a date that was years old. The old wooden floors were scratched and incredibly dirty, as always. The sink was over flowing with dirty dishes; it was so full that several cups, bowls, plates, and utensils had fallen on the floor to be forgotten. From upstairs, he could hear the small footsteps and yells of the younger children who were probably playing with God knows what.

_Home sweet home, _Ed thought bitterly.

The man looked up at him and sneered. He wore his usual attire that comprised of a white wife-beater, oversized jeans-that sagged slightly do to his near anorexic figure-, socks with a small hole in the toe, and a thin silver chain that was wrapped around his neck.

_Oh, how I'd love to strangle him with that stupid thing…_ Ed thought while thinking of what exact shade his face would turn if he was finally able to engage in the act.

The man's white-trash outfit was completed with his five o'clock shadow and his long black hair pulled into low ponytail.

"So, I saw you with that little bitch Winny again today," He growled as he stood up from his seat.

Ed wasn't as short as he used to be, but at only 5' 6'' he still toward over him by a half a foot.

"Her names _Winry,_ Kimblee," Ed spat back.

"Oh big fucking difference. And I thought I told you to keep your little girlfriend away from here or put her to good use and let me have a little fun with her-."

Ed snapped. At his comment, Ed felt as if all of his reason had escaped his body. And because of that, Ed filled the space that was still between them and slugged him straight in the jaw.

Ed didn't even realize what he had done until Kimblee stood in front of him, wiping the blood that came out of his busted bottom lip. Kimblee stared at the damage in the back door window while Ed froze in terror.

_Ed! This is the stupid shit Winry always tells you not to do!_ His conscious screamed at him. _Don't you remember what happened the last time you did something stupid like this?_

"So," Kimblee said once he had finished wiping away the blood. "You want to play?"

"Uh…I…" Ed's mind was completely blank. He couldn't even find it in him to run like Hell.

"Well, we're both big kids here. You threw a punch so I guess it's my turn now," He said with so much malice in his voice and eyes it made Ed's heart stop for a moment.

Ed saw him move his arm back to swing at him, but he couldn't exactly remember his fist ever colliding with the side of his head. But he guessed it had to have happened. I mean, how else could he have ended up on the floor with a splitting headache. As Ed went to feel his head, just to make sure it was still in one piece, he froze. He had forgotten the number one rule to fighting with this guy: Don't leave yourself open.

Ed's eyes darted from his open gut to Kimblee's gleeful expression and back to his gut in a matter of nanoseconds. But unfortunately, he was just a bit too slow for this abusing pro. Ed forced his eyes closed so as not to see his total kid-in-a-candy-store expression as he rammed his foot into his unprotected stomach.

Once his foot had made contact with his stomach, Ed's mouth was forced open so he could throw up what must have been all of his lunch along with what had to be yesterday's diner. Kimblee's foot was brought down into Ed's stomach two more times before he stopped, feeling completely satisfied with his dirty work.

Kimblee crouched down in front of Ed's head and forced his head up to look at him.

"I was going to say that I hope you'll remember that so that I don't have to do it again. But then I realized that that was fun as Hell. Maybe you should slug me more often…"

Kimblee made their eyes lock for one more moment before he moved his unused hand and punched Ed right in the gut right be fore he dropped him onto the hard floor.

Ed lay there, in his own pool of sick, too week to move. After a few more moments, Ed found himself able to stop his constant dry heaving's. He laid there for some time more, listening to the noise coming from the television that Kimblee sat in front of; the noises from upstairs stopped. The younger children had all learned by now that when you heard yelling or fighting, you stopped whatever you were doing and shut up because one little noise could be all that it took to send Kimblee ape-wild on some poor twelve-year-old.

Ed tried a few times to move himself onto his arms, but soon fell back onto the ground. Ed let a moan slip from in between his lips as his rolled onto his back.

"Brother?"

Ed cracked his eyes open to see the small nine-year-old who had grown accustomed to calling Ed that after taking him under his wing. Ed stared at the group behind him and saw that the other children had come down too. Ed tried his best to smile at the small and sad looking children, but found that even something like smiling hurt.

"Big brother, you're hurt…" the small boy with sandy blond hair said as his big green eye began to overflow and his grip on his raggedy stuffed bear tightened considerably.

"'m fine…" Ed whispered. "Don't worry 'bout it Kyle…"

"Do you need help?" the oldest kid out of the group asked.

"Yes please Terry."

Terry, who was thirteen, had blue eyes that held the look of a grown man. His black hair was chopped short, almost like an army buzz cut, which further aged his still round face.

"Hey. I could use some help here," Terry groaned as he began to support one of Ed's shoulders.

"Sorry!" whispered Sammy, the only girl in the house.

She quickly tip-toed over to the two and helped to support Ed's other side. Together, Sammy and Terry lifted Ed up into a sitting position and then helped him limp over to the stairs. Once they had reached the destination, Sammy moved in front of Ed and stared at him with her big, worried brown eyes.

"Are you okay? Do you need an ice pack?"

Ed looked at the girl and smiled sadly at her. She was only twelve and she was already a mom for three boys. At first glance, you wouldn't know if Sammy was a girl or a boy. Her auburn hair was cut into a bob and she kept her hair and stray hairs out of her eyes with an old red bandana. She always wore boys' clothes, but it wasn't like she had a choice of cloths here. Sammy was sporting her usual choice of cloths: a pair of denim overalls with one strap down, the legs rolled up to her knees, and a black tank top under it; all of the baggy clothes made her look thinner than she already was.

"I'll be alright Sammy. I just need to lie down…"

"We can get you up the stairs!" Kyle insisted while shaking his head so fast that Ed thought that his head might fall off.

"No, no…I just need a minute…"

Ed took a few deep breaths before he braced himself onto the stairs and forced himself up, no matter how much his stomach protested. Once up, Ed tried to supported himself on the wall and almost fell onto his face.

"Really, let us help you!" Terry insisted with a panicked expression.

"All…alright…jus, just don't hurt yourself…" Ed muttered as he rubbed his head. That punch to the skull really got to him, he had to tell Sammy to wake him up if he fell asleep, just in case he had a concussion.

Five minutes later, Ed collapsed onto his bed, or rather a mattress on the floor with a few blankets and an old pillow. Ed was biting the inside of his mouth to stop himself from moaning; he didn't want to worry the kids.

"Do you need anything?" Terry asked as he stood over Ed.

"I'm fine…really…"

"You sure?" Sammy asked. "I-I saw him hit you. You might have a concussion or something."

"R-right. Just make sure I'm up. I might have a concussion."

"Okay," Sammy said. She then leaned over him and kissed him on the forehead, like she always did whenever she left him. "Feel better."

"I'll try," Ed said with a smile at the girl; she was just too adorable.

"We'll try to be quiet so you can rest!" Kyle exclaimed.

"Not too quiet…" Ed sighed. "If I fall asleep I could…"

"You could die!" Kyle exclaimed.

"Kyle!" Sammy chastised.

"But he could."

"So you have to make sure you check up on him every hour," Terry said while ruffling his hair.

"Okay…see ya guys later," Ed muttered as he attempted a half-hearted wave.

Sammy pushed the two boys out of the room and shut the door behind her. Once Ed had heard the click of the other bedroom door closing, he let out a big shuddering moan. His stomach hurt_, a lot_. Ed gently lifted up his shirt so that he could inspect the damage.

"…not good…" He muttered to himself as his stomach was already bruising a radiant purple and sickening blue.

Ed then brought his attention to his right arm, or at least, what would have been his arm if he hadn't lost it, along with most of his left leg, in an accident that, for the life of him, he couldn't remember. Instead, his right arm was a piece of shiny and cold metal. Right now, Ed was thankful that he had this 'automail' because it was exactly what he need. Ed moved his right hand and gently eased it onto his behemoth of a bruise and let out a small hiss at the contact.

Ed rubbed his egg-shaped lump on the side of his head before letting out a yawn. He was really tired.

"Hopefully I don't have a concussion and I can just sleep…"

Ed rubbed his eyes before flipped over his automail to the cooler side before he drifted off to sleep.

* * *

**Ugh...I just _hate _Kimblee with a fiery passion!**

**So I hoped you like that because I loved writing Ed in a more mature light.**

**See you soon and make sure to take the New Years parties easy! (who will review if everyone's hung over?)**

**-FSK**


	3. I Promise

**IT'S MY BIRTHDAY TOMORROW! XD**

**HAPPY 15TH TO ME!**

**...yeah so I'm excited about that...**

**Any-who, thank you guys _soooo _much for all of your reviews! (11! Holy Shit!) They all made me very happy! I was actually going to give you this chapter tomorrow but I had a snow day today (yay for snow day!) and I was just like 'screw it, doing this _now._' I hope everyone enjoys this chapter!**

**Review Lot's for my birthday present! **

* * *

"Big Brother…"

Ed cracked his eyes open, but then quickly closed them to hid from the offending light. After letting his eyes readjust to the God-awful artificial yellow light, Ed let one of his open partially so he could see who had woken him.

"Wahzizit…?" Ed muttered groggily.

"It's past diner time," Sammy said quietly.

"Really?" Ed asked before checking his digital clock to confirm that, yes, it was past eight o'clock.

"I thought you might be hungry," she said while holding up a plate of spaghetti with meatballs and sauce on it.

"Oh, thank you. I _am_ pretty hungry."

"When aren't you?" She asked with a smirk.

Ed slowly sat up but then fell back onto his pillow; his head was absolutely killing him.

"Stay down," Sammy urged after Ed mad another sad attempt to sit up. "Just stay here. I'll go borrow the other pillows and we can prop you up."

A minute later, Sammy arrived with an arm full of deflated pillows. After piling up the pillows, Ed laid back onto them, elevated a bit higher.

"Here," Sammy said as she set the hot plate into his hands. "Do you want anything to drink?"

Ed's thoughts quickly wandered to the old liquor cabinet that Kimblee guarded with his life. But no, he'd have to wait until the weekend before he could get anything stronger.

"No, I'm fine Sammy. Thank you."

"You're welcome. Call me if you need anything. And don't you dare move," she admonished in her motherly tone.

"Wouldn't dream of it Sammy. I'll talk to you later, 'kay?"

"Yup. See ya Eddy."

Sammy was the only person under the sum who was allowed to call him 'Eddy'. Period.

Sammy kissed him again on the forehead, fluffed the pillows up, and straightened out his ruffled sheets before she turned to leave.

"You're going to make some guy one hell of a wife one day, you know that?" Ed said as he began to dig into his food with caution; he didn't know if his incredibly soar stomach would accept food.

"First I have to get out of this Hell-hole," Sammy said with a small, sad smile.

Ed looked up at her for a moment, locking her eyes with his.

"I promise you. The _second_ I turn 18, I'm taking all of you guys away from this monster and I'll take care of you," Ed said, his voice brimming with conviction.

Sammy stared at him for a while longer before she spoke again. But when she spoke, it wasn't the firm but extremely motherly Sammy. No, it was the broken and insecure spirit Sammy who had arrived here three years ago.

"Really?" she asked breathlessly as silent tears rolled down her pale cheeks.

"Absolutely," Ed responded in a firm voice.

Years ago, when it had just been him and Terry, the two discussed Ed adopting him once he turned 18. It was something the two used to talk about all the time. But it seemed as the years went by, and the more crushed Terry's spirit became, he believed less and less that Ed would actually save him if he could. Protecting these kids were the only reason why Ed had stayed here so long. Maybe he should tell Winry about this, just so she would stop pleading for him to live with him.

Winry…she was amazing. They had been friends since almost the day Ed moved to this house. And he had had a major crush on her since that exact day; Ed had a suspicion that Winry also had a crush on him as well. But whenever Ed had wanted to just scream out his feelings to her, he stopped himself. If Kimblee knew about her…well that just gave him another weak spot for the man to hit.

Bringing himself out of his thoughts, Ed focused on the crying girl before him. For the first time in many years, Ed saw the real Sammy. Sammy wasn't a mother. She wasn't a super hero that shot out love in every direction. She was a scared little girl whose childhood had been ripped from underneath her.

"Come here," Ed said while holing out his arms as best as he could in his condition.

The little girl instantly sprinted over to him, buried her head into his chest, and sobbed out every last tear that she had held in over the years.

* * *

Some time later, Ed was woken up by a gentle knock on his bedroom door. Ed cracked his eyes open before staring at the clock that read half-past ten.

"Yeah. Come in," Ed called out to who ever was at his door.

It was Terry with Kyle hiding just behind him.

"Ed…are you alright?"

"Yeah."

"Well can you help us find Sammy? W-we, we can't find her! Not anywhere!"

Ed gave the two distraught boys a small smile before turning on the small lamp that sat just above his head. Once the light had been turned on, the location of Sammy was revealed.

Sammy was laying down on Ed's left, curled up into a little ball. She had tired herself out from all of her crying and Ed just let the poor girl curl up to him and sleep. The boys grinned at the sight of Sammy looking so defenseless-it was a rare sight after all.

"That solves that problem," Terry said before letting out a tired sigh. "Well I'm going to sleep then."

"Wait!" Kyle said as Terry began walking over to his own mattress.

"What?' He asked.

"If Sammy's sleeping here…th-then, then I'll be all alone."

"Well…" Ed began while sending a glance toward Terry.

"Fine," Terry said after heaving a large sigh. "Kyle, you can sleep with me tonight."

"Really?"

"Sure. Just get in the bed," Terry muttered while wearing a scowl.

He didn't exactly like the idea of having Kyle share a bed with him. He was seven years old for Christ sakes! He shouldn't be afraid of sleeping alone…but then again, who knows what Kimblee would do if he were to drunkenly stumble upon a defenseless little kid?

"Night everyone," Ed muttered as he fell back asleep.

"Hey Ed!"

It was the next morning. After spending ten minutes trying to ease himself out of his bed, he made sure everyone else was up and ready after their little sleepover but then found himself extremely late. Ed bolted out of his house before even eating anything, but then again, he wasn't sure he could eat properly so it wasn't a big loss.

Ed turned around and, to his surprise, saw Winry running behind him.

"W-what are you doing here?" Ed asked.

"I *pant* w-was at Sh-Sheska's," Winry panted once she had reached Ed. Ed stared behind his doubled-over friend and saw another girl running towards them.

"Hey Sheska," Ed said as the other teen had caught up with them.

"H-hi *pant* E-Ed…" Sheska panted as she fixed her lopsided glasses.

Ed waited for the two teens to catch their breaths while he worriedly checked the clock on his cell phone. He didn't care if he was late for homeroom, but maybe these two, Honor Society good-girls might.

"Uh, you guys are gonna be late if you don't start moving," Ed warned the two girls, which quickly got them up and moving again.

"So why were you at Sheska's again?" Ed asked once they started walking.

"Sheska asked me for help on her homework and then I just crashed there."

"Oh…well then why were you guys so late?" Ed asked before turning to Sheska and asking, "Don't you usually get a ride?"

"Yeah but I overslept and we missed it. We tried calling people for rides but they were all at school by then. So we just had to run."

"Why were you late Ed?" Winry asked.

"Overslept," he answered simply.

"Alright…" Winry muttered as she watched Ed's movements.

_There's something wrong with him…_Winry thought._ He's wincing even worse than yesterday…I hope he didn't get beaten… _

* * *

The three teenagers managed to reach the school and enter their first period classes before the late bell had rung.

Ed sat down, completely out of breath, at his seat for his first period class; U.S. History. It was an easy class for him, all he had to do was sit down and take notes and he would get perfect grades. Almost a minute after the bell had rung the chair next to him was pulled back and was then occupied.

"Are you _ever_ on time?" Ed asked to his companion who was now busy taking out his things.

"Only for this class," he answered with his usual cocky grin. "Besides, I could walk in half way through the class and Grunman wouldn't care in the least."

"Just cuz you're his favorite," Ed muttered as he began working on the question of the day.

"And what's wrong with that? And don't complain; Grunman treats me just the same as he does to you."

"Bullshit," Ed mumbled as he began to chew on his mechanical pencil. "He doesn't treat anyone like the way he treats you. Not even Riza and she's his granddaughter."

"Well I guess I'm just lucky."

"More like you're a suck-up."

The other boy was able to sneak in a hard punch to the arm before the always giddy and bespectacled Mr. Grunman came bouncing into the room. Ed sent a glare towards his friend, but found that he was acting his part of the good student and was busy copying notes that Mr. Grunman had begun to put up.

"You're an ass," Ed whispered as he pulled out his notebook. Ed didn't get a response, but out of the corner of his eye he could see him smirk.

The person sitting next to Ed was none other than Roy Mustang; member of the top five 'hotties' of the school, captain of the basketball team, and-speaking grades wise- perfect student.

Ed wasn't exactly what to call Roy. Were they friends? Ed had no clue. All he was sure about was that Roy too lived in a foster home.

_A good one foster home_ Ed thought with a twinge of jealousy running through him.

Roy had the perfect life. Many loyal friends and followers, a nice home to go home to, and of coarse the fact that he was always happy and content with his life. Ed stared at his dark haired and eyed 'friend' and sighed.

_Wonder what it's like not having to constantly worry about other people's lives? Must be relaxing… _

* * *

History passed without any hitch. After that, he went off to his one of his favorite classes: Study Hall.

Ed sat down at his seat in the corner, pulled a thick book out of his back pack, and began to drown out the noises of the other students. He rarely ever had homework to do in Study Hall since he would usually finish it in class. Sometimes when Ed had forgotten his book or finished it already, he would erase his work and see if he could do it again, just for the Hell of it.

_It's so hard being a genius sometimes._ Ed thought while wearing a small grin on his face. He _was_ a legitimate genius; he had an IQ of 160.

Ed stared around at his fellow classmates, most of whom were fretting over school work that he could have done years ago, and sighed again.

_Maybe it'd just be easier for me to graduate early and then see if I can legally adopt them…I don't know…_

* * *

The next few periods came and went, all just as boring as usual. Ed had been almost sent down to the office in his fourth period class, but he managed to weasel his way out by saying how _very sorry_ he was.

After his fourth period, Ed raced down to the cafeteria for lunch.

"Hey Ed!" Winry called from their usual lunch table. Ed walked over to her and sat down next to her.

"How was your day so far?" Winry asked before biting into what was supposed to be a piece of pizza.

"…alright I guess," he answered lamely. He never was good at small talk.

"Ed," Winry whispered as she pushed her tray away while looking over her shoulder to make sure their other friends hadn't arrived yet, "we need to talk."

"'Bout what?" Ed asked, even though he knew exactly what she meant.

"About your bruises," Winry growled. "I noticed you wincing whenever you had to bend down or move too fast. And don't think for a minute that no one has seen that goose egg-sized bump on the sided of your head."

"Winr-," Ed began.

"_You said that he stopped hitting you_," Winry muttered while her eyes took on a mixture of hurt, worry, and anger.

"I never said that," Ed quickly said while checking over his own shoulder.

"Yes you did!"

"I said that he hasn't done it in a while. And don't talk so loud!" Ed growled while looking around to see if anyone had heard. "People can hear you."

"I don't bloody care if people hear!"

"Well I do because it's _my_ business, Win. Not yours."

"But-!"

"Oh, are we having a little lovers spat?"

Ed looked up to see Roy smirking down at the two of them. Ed sent him a glare before Roy sat down next to him.

"We weren't fighting. Just a very heated argument."

"Hmm…heated…" Roy muttered with his usual smirk.

Before Ed could engage in his usual lunch argument with Roy, the others appeared; Jean, Riza, and Sheska bringing up the rear.

"Wazup everyone?" Jean asked as he sat down next to Roy.

Jean was an odd guy with blond hair, blue eyes, and who always smelled like fresh cigarette smoke.

"Jean, why do you keep smoking during school?" Ed asked in an annoyed tone.

"I don't see why you care. It's not like you get in trouble for me smoking."

"We _do_ get in trouble," Everyone said at once.

"Quit hanging around us after you smoke during school," Riza growled as she pushed her long blond hair back. "You make all of us smell like smoke."

"Whatever…" Jean said as he dug into his food.

"It is _not_ just whatever! The principle told my grandfather last time it happened!"

"So what? Your gramps is a cool dude."

"Yes but what if he had called my father?" Riza asked while glaring daggers at Jean.

"Uhh…well…" Jean muttered as he tried to ignore Riza's deadly glare.

"If my father thinks I'm smoking…you're dead meat," Riza growled.

"R-right."

"…Well how about we change subjects," Roy suggested.

"Yes please!" Jean said eagerly.

"It's Friday. How about we get nice and shit-faced?"

"And where would we do this?" Ed asked. He really could use a break this weekend.

"Maes' parents are out of town for the weekend and most of the next week."

"Speaking of Maes…were is that moving Kodak moment?" Jean asked while searching the cafeteria for their dark haired friend.

"Were do you think?" Riza asked. "He's talking to Gracia. Duh."

"So does everyone want to hang out tonight?"

"Is Maes cool with it?" Winry asked.

"He will be."

"I'll go."

"Me too."

"Awesome."

"What time?"

"I don't know…we'll figure that out later."

Ed stared at his tray of undistinguishable food and sighed. He could use a break from his house. Maybe he could even crash at Maes' house so that he wouldn't have to go back to hi own.

_That would be nice…_

* * *

******Next chapter: Party time!**

**So...I wanted to put this up as soon as I finished (which was probably a hour or two after I posted the last chapter...) but I realized that if I want this story to last a while, I can't update the second I finish. So I'll probably update once a week...5-6 days if I _really_ can't wait.**

**ANNOUNCEMENT!: On my profile I have put up a poll that is kinda important to this story. So go to my profile and check it out.**

**-FSK**


	4. Do Not Disturb

**Hi everyone!**

**Sorry for the wait! I've just been really busy between the Mid-Terms that are coming next week (so every teacher is busy shoving 20 paged review guides down our throats) and I've been suffering from a touch of writers block. I actually wasn't holding this chapter hostage. I _just_ finished this...like thirty seconds ago.**

**So I hope you guys enjoy and thank you very much for all of the reviews that flooded my e-mail!**

* * *

"Hey Ed!"

Ed turned to his left and saw, to his slight amusement, Jean hanging almost completely out of a slow-moving Jeep. The car was rolling along next to Ed; Ed leaned slightly to see who as driving: Roy.

"What's up?" Ed asked with a small smile on his face.

"How about you stop walking so I can quit using up gas!" Roy yelled from the driver's seat.

Ed stopped in his tracks and let Roy and Jean park against the curb. Jean opened up the side door and let his long legs hang out of the car.

"So what's up?" Ed asked.

"We were gonna go check out our booze options," Jean answered. "Wanna come along?"

"I don't know…" Ed muttered.

"What? You got a hot date or something?" Jean asked as he popped a new cigarette into his mouth and lit it.

"Speaking of date," Roy said while looking around the empty side walk, "Where's your little girlfriend?"

"She had a dentist appointment or something," Ed answered while ignoring the girlfriend comment. "She left during seventh period."

"Oh. Well come along for the ride!" Jean insisted.

"I don't know if I can…" Ed began. "My foster dad doesn't like it if I come home late…"

"Well we'll go to your place, you can drop off your shit, say whatever to him, and then we'll be on our way."

"Alright…" Ed sighed as he opened the back door of the Jeep and climbed inside.

_Hell, it's Friday,_ Ed thought as Roy began speeding off to his house, _maybe he already left to go drinking._

* * *

"You guys stay here." Ed said as Roy pulled into his driveway.

"Why is it that I've known you for years…and yet you still won't let me come inside your house?" Jean questioned as Ed slammed the car door shut.

"Why is it that you keep trying to get inside of my house even though I specifically ask you not to come in?" Ed asked as he sped off to the front door.

"Have _you_ ever been inside of his house before?" Jean asked Roy.

"Yeah, loads of times."

"What the Hell! Why doesn't he want me in there then?"

"Well actually I haven't been inside of his house in a few years," Roy said as he thought about it. "Really I don't think _anyone's_ been in his place for a few years…"

"Really?" Jean asked in a surprised but slightly relieved tone.

"Yeah."

"And here I thought he just didn't like me."

"Jeez, Jean," Roy sighed as he ran his fingers through his hair.

"What?"

"Is that all you care about? Whether people like you or not?"

"Hmm….pretty much."

"Wow."

"I only care if people I want to be friends with likes me or not!"

"So that makes you _slightly _less shallow."

"I am not shallow!"

The two sat there for a few more minutes, during which Jean popped another cigarette into his mouth and Roy drummed his fingers on the dash board of the car.

"So do you know _why_ people don't come over to Ed's or why Ed doesn't allow people to come over to his place?"

"Well…I do-or at least I think I do."

"Why is it then?"

Roy opened his mouth to speak but quickly shut his mouth with a snap when he saw Ed walking towards the car.

"I'll talk about it later," Roy quickly whispered before Ed was within earshot of them.

"So everything's okay?" Jean asked as Ed sat down in the back.

"Yeah…"

"So let's get going!" Jean cheered as Roy put the car into reverse and pulled out of the driveway.

* * *

"Roy! Mom said if you even look at her alcohol she would kick your ass!"

"I'm not here to try and get her liquor, Vanessa!" Roy insisted as he tried to make a move closer towards his mother's office/lounge.

"Well then why are you trying to get passed me?"

"I-I'm not!"

"Then what are you trying to do?"

Roy stared down at his tiny foster sister and sighed…there was no getting around that persistent little brat.

"Fine," Roy said as he turned around. "Come on guys, let's go."

Ed and Jean followed after him with slightly confused looks on their faces.

"Roy-"Jean began.

"Shh! Just get in the Jeep."

Ed and Jean gave each other a glance before getting in the car. Roy started up the car and backed out of the car.

"Can we talk now?" Ed asked in an annoyed voice.

"Yeah I guess you can."

"Well what the Hell was that about?"

"We're just changing our plans a little bit, that's all."

"Well what's the plan?"

"We'll drive around the block for a few minutes. And then we'll sneak through the lot next door and into the room through the window."

"Why do we have to wait a while?"

"Because my sisters are too damn smart and they expect this from me."

Ten minutes later, Ed and Jean were sitting in Roy's Jeep in the vacant lot near his house while Roy climbed over the tall wooden fence and into his back yard. After a few minutes of waiting, Ed and Jean were rejoined by their friend.

"So what'd you get?" Jean asked eagerly.

"30 bucks…should be enough…you guys are chipping in right?" Roy muttered as he shoved the bills into his wallet.

"Uh, won't your Mom realize that she's missing 30 dollars?" Ed asked.

"Maybe, maybe not. Anyways, I get paid tomorrow. So maybe she just won't notice."

"Yeah, just like maybe Jean here will become President of the U.S." Ed said as he sat back in his seat.

* * *

An hour later, after visiting a liquor store that had always been very lenient with ages, Roy pulled up in Maes' drive.

"So I have a question," Ed began as he helped carry bags filled with their illegal liquor.

"And I have an answer," Roy said. "What's up?"

"Did you tell Maes that there was a party going on at his house tonight or is this gonna be a repeat of Riza's 'Sweet Sixteen'?"

"Oh man, that was a good night," Roy sighed as he remembered the events of that wonderful Friday night from almost a year ago. "But, unfortunately, no. I told him this time. Besides, he should just expect a nice party when ever his parents are gone for the weekend."

The three teens walked up to the front door and repeatedly rammed the door with their knees, as their hands were already full, until the door opened.

"What the Hell was that for?" Maes asked as he let his friends' in. "Trying to wake up the dead?"

"We weren't that loud," Jean said as he jumped and landed gracefully onto one of Maes' plush couches before he motioned to the pile of occupied bags and said, "We brought you presents!"

"Hmm, thanks," Maes muttered before turning to Roy. "So did you call anyone yet or is it only the four of us?"

"No, they're coming. And you would've known that if you were at our table today!"

"Sorry! I can't help it! Gracia asked me to sit with her and _come on,_ how can you say no to _her_? We really hit it off and she asked me out to a movie for tomorrow! I'm so excited I don't know if I can wait one more minute!"

"Yeah, yeah. We get it; you don't have to go all spazzy on us," Ed growled as he helped put the liquor into the fridge.

"So when is everyone coming over?" Maes asked once he had gotten rid of the dopey expression that graced his face moments ago.

"Uh…two…three-ish hours," Roy said as he consulted his wrist watch.

"Well that gives us some time to lock up all of my parents valuables."

"Don't be such a worry-wart, "Jean said as he stretched himself out on the couch. "We don't do _that_ much damage to your place."

"Key words: _That_ much," Maes said as he walked over to the kitchen to help Ed with the stocking of the liquor.

* * *

"Ahh! Bones said 'damn it'!" Sheska yelled while pointing at the television screen.

"Drink!" Jean shouted in case no one got the hint.

The seven teens, a few hours later, sat around Maes' living room while engaging in one of their favorite drinking games, the Star Trek addition. No one could ever really remember all of the rules for their game, so new rules were made up every time they played.

Ed turned his head and grinned at Winry. Roy had insisted that Ed and Winry to sit next to each other on the loveseat; something that everyone else seemed to encourage. Winry gave a big goofy smile back at him which caused his stomach to squirm slightly. Her cheeks were now bright pink and she giggled at almost everything. Ed wanted to tell her that he thought she looked unbearably cute, but, of course, he couldn't unless he wanted to be mocked for weeks on end by the other people in the room.

"He-he…this is _so_ much fun Ed!" Winry giggled before she took another sip from her drink. "Are _you _havin' fun Ed?"

"Yeah." Ed said after he chugged the rest of his beer and tossed it in the growing trash pile.

"That's great!"

"Winry, quiet down! This is the best part!" Riza yelled from her spot on the floor.

"Sorry!"

* * *

"Uh…what do we do now?" Jean asked as he took the DVD out of the player and back into its case.

"Um…Ido know…" Roy muttered as he attempted to smash a beer can on the side of his head but resulted in him gaining a ring shaped red mark on the side of his face. "We could umm…"

"How about we just blast some music and see what happens," Riza suggested before she demonstrated to Roy how a person should smash a can with their head.

"M'kay," Jean said as he pried himself from the floor. "Yo Masey! Where'd you hide your stereo?"

"I didn't hide it. You're just too much of a dip-shit to find it," Maes said from his pot on coffee table.

"Well then help me find it!"

After a few moments of squabbling, loud music was bouncing off of every wall of the house. Ed was instantly pulled to his feet by Winry, who then grabbed his other arms and began spinning him around in circles, much to the amusement of their friends.

"Ahh! Winry! Stop!" Ed yelled as his friend continued to spin him faster and faster.

"Nooo!" Winry squealed just before she tripped over her own feet and fell to the ground, sending Ed with her.

"Oww…." Ed muttered as he rubbed his head.

"Ha…ha…sow-eee Eddie!" Winry giggled as she tried to roll onto her stomach.

"Geez Win, you look like a turtle stuck on its back," Riza commented as she watched the two.

"Well I definitely _feel_ like a drunk turtle right now!"

After Ed had managed to untangle himself from Winry, he turned and tried to help her into a sitting position.

"Come on Win, I'm gonna need a little help here!"

"Ngmm…Ed…" Winry muttered as she attempt to sit up.

"What is it Winry?" He asked once he had finally managed to get Winry into a sitting position.

Ed stared at her face and instantly knew what her grey face meant.

"I'm gonna puke…"

* * *

"You better know?" Ed asked as he let go off her long blond locks.

"Uh-huh…" she whispered.

"Good."

Winry flushed the toilet before slowly crawling to a spot against the cool bathroom wall. Ed filled a cup of water for her to rinse her mouth with and joined her.

"Here." Ed said while handing her the paper Dixie cup.

"Thanks."

Once she had finished the water, Winry set the cup on the floor, leaned against Ed and placed her head on his shoulder. Ed felt his face heat up considerably as she moved closer to him.

"Ed…"Winry whispered, which caused Ed to jump slightly since he thought that she had fallen asleep.

"Y-Yeah?"

Ed looked down and saw Winry staring glassy eyed at him. She slowly sat up before moving her face closer to his.

"Uh…W-Winry?" Ed asked as she moved closer.

_W-what's going on? This can't be happening!_

All of Ed's thoughts were gone from his head the second he felt the soft lips press up against his own.

Winry broke the kiss after a moment or two when Ed didn't respond. Winry stared into her crush's shocked face for another moment before she spoke up.

"I really like you Ed…"

The loud music, the screams and shouts, all of the noise coming from downstairs…Ed heard none of it. Because Winry Rockbell, his crush for years, was kissing him…and he was kissing her back.

* * *

**I do love me some Star Trek... :P (Fun-Sized Kirk...? Star Trek...? Hmm...?...)**

**So, tell me what you thought of this chapter cuz' I had some trouble with this one. Maybe cuz' it felt like a little bit of a filler to me...I don't know.**

**Whatever. I'll see you guys soon and make sure to review a lot!**

**-FSK**


	5. Kimblee's Secret

**Hi Everyone! ****Here's a new chapter for you! **

**Thanks to everyone that reviewed last chapter! I'm super excited about his chapter because this is were things start to get a little crazy!**

**A little word of warning, if you don't like heavy swearing, sorry because this chapter has some near the end.**

* * *

"Hey. Where's Ed and Winry?" Roy asked as he looked around the dark room.

"What?" Maes asked as he passed by Roy.

"I said where'd Ed and Winry run off to?"

"Uh…didn't they run off to the bathroom so that Winry could barf?"

"Right." Roy said as he started to walk out of the room and up the stairs to the bathroom.

Once Roy had climbed the stairs, he walked down the hall and to the closed bathroom door. Roy raised a fist to knock on the door, but before his fist could make contact with the hard surface, the door opened, smacking him right on his nose and knocking him to the ground.

"Ow! Shit what the Hell was that for?!" Roy hollered as Ed stared down at him.

"What are you yelling at me for? I wasn't the one hiding behind a door."

"I wasn't hiding! I was making sure you two didn't die!"

"Whatever, let's just get back downstairs."

Roy watched as Ed and Winrywalked by him. They were both quiet, too quiet for Roy's liking. Roy studied Winry's face and noticed that it was unusually red.

_Well she was drinking. _Roy reasoned as he pulled himself from the ground.

Roy followed the two teens back down the stairs and to the living room and stared at the commotion. Jean was busy standing on top of the couch, shooting empty beer cans witha slingshot at invisible targets throughout the room, while wearing a bed sheet tied around his neck, and dirtying Maes' parent's immaculate white couch with his sneakers. Ed saw Riza crouched behind one of the many coffee tables; He could practically see the wheels turning in her mind as she tried to formulate a plan to stop her delusional friend. Sheska had taken off most of her clothes and was now screaming and running away from Maes, who was only trying to put her back into the clothes she insisted on taking off.

"Yikes." Ed managed to say once he had seen all of the damage the two had managed to create.

"I think that's an understatement." Roy said before he was forced to dive so he wouldn't be beheaded by one of Jean's beer cans.

"Don't just stand there like zombies you three!" Maes shouted as he finally managed to grab hold of Sheska. "Fucking help me!"

Winry quickly moved from her spot to help Maes coax Sheska back into her clothes. Roy and Ed sent each other a look a before letting out a sigh.

"You go that way," Roy whispered as he began to crouch down, motioning to the left of their projectile shooting friend, "I'll go around to his back and Riza…" Roy turned his head so he could look at Rizamore clearly. After their silent message was sent, the three crept to their respective spots and waited for Roy's signal.

"NOW!" Roy shouted as he sprung up from behind the couch.

Ed jumped up and into the air, using the edge of the table as a spring board. Once he had landed on the couch, Ed grabbed onto Jean's left arm and forced it to his side. Riza reciprocated Ed's actions at the same time and then grabbed onto Jean's right. Roy then wrapped his arms around Jean's torso and tried to movehim from off of the couch. Unfortunately, gravity got in the way of their little plan and caused the four teens to face plant onto the couch beneath them.

"Ow…" Roy moaned as he rubbed his head after colliding with another body.

"Great plan Mustang." Ed growled in a slightly muffled voice.

"Hey you went for it! Well you can just go and stopped this lunatic by yourself the next time he decides to do something retarded like this!"

"Guys…"

"No way in Hell am I going to do that! Why don't you just go and stop him!"

"_Guys_."

"I _do _stop him every time!

"GUYS!"

Ed and Roy looked around for the body that owned the voice. The room was too dark and there were just too many arms and legs to tell whose body was whose.

"Umm, where are you Riza?" Roy asked as he moved a large pillow.

"I'm underneath you idiots! Not move before I'm crushed underneath your fat asses!"

Ed, Roy, and Jean quickly attempted to jump off of the couch, but ended up just flopping onto the hard ground. Riza got up from the couch and straightened out disheveled appearance. The three teenaged boys cowered under her burning presence.

"Jean." Riza said quietly.

"Y-Yes?"

In a flash, Rizahad shot her arm down, grabbed onto the collar of Jean's T-shirt, and, withastonishing strength, pulled the trembling teen to her eye level.

"What the _hell_was that for?" Riza asked in a deadly whisper.

Riza's anger seemed to radiate off of her in waves. The room was suddenly deathly silent now as they all stared at helpless Jean freeze under Riza's deadly gaze.

"Umm, I-I thought it, it was a g-g-good idea…"

"I good idea?"

"W-w-well I can s-see now th-that it was, was a bad idea…"

"You think so?"

"Yes. And, and I'm really, really, really, really, really, really, really, really, really, _really, really sorry_." Jean insisted as he shook his head for added emphasis.

Riza let him wither under her gaze for a few more minutes before she let go of him; his unstable legs were so shaken, they couldn't support his body and set him tumbling to the floor next to Ed and Roy. After looking around at the damage, Riza let out an audible sigh before excusing herself to the bathroom.

"Dude." Roy said once Riza had exited the room.

"I know." Jean muttered as he tried to pull himself off of the ground.

"You got off easy."

* * *

"Sorry we messed up your parents couch again." Jean said as he stood in the doorway.

"_We_?" Riza questioned while she tied up the last garbage bag.

"It's alright. They wanted a new couch anyways."

"I still feel kinda guilty though." Jean muttered.

"It's alright." Maesreassured his friend with a smile. "Besides, I know how you guys can be. I should be thankful that all that happened was a little beer got on the walls and some footprints on the couch."

"Yeah well…" Jean trailed off as he remembered the other destructive things he had done to this house.

"Well who's crashing here?" Maes asked.

"I am." Jean said as he placed a cigarette in his mouth.

"Me too." Sheska muttered from the couch.

"I might as well." Riza said. "My Father thinks I'm sleeping over Maria Ross' house. It'd be a little suspicious if I showed up."

"Anyone else?"

"I'm too beat to move anywhere." Roy said as he rubbed a soar spot on his neck.

"I can't." Winryadmitted with a frown. "My grandma said she wanted me back home before the sun came up."

"What about you Ed? You staying or going with your girl?" Roy asked.

"I have to go." Ed admitted.

"Aww, come on! Stay, both of you!" Sheska yelled.

"I _really _can't." Ed said. "My Foster dad texted me and told me I have to be home."

"Oh…alright."

Ed looked at Winry out of the corner of his eye and sent her a silent message telling her that Kimblee was pissed at him being gone.

"Uh, so I'll just take you home Ed." Winry said as she pulled out her car keys from her pocket.

"Right."

As the two left through the front door, a chorus of adorably annoying oohs and awws came from behind them. Ed managed to flick off his annoying friends before Winry pulled him out of the house.

Ed and Winry walked to Winry's beat-up blue pickup truck in silence. Winry started up the car and the two buckled up their seat belts. Ed sat there in his seat, waiting and waiting for the awkward silence to hit him but…but it just didn't seem to come. Ed glanced over to Winry and found her driving peacefully.

_Maybe it's not awkward because this should've happened a long time ago…_Ed thought.

This thought didn't help Ed in the slightest, because Ed knew what he had to do. And he felt horrible for having to do this to the girl he loved so much.

"Winry." Ed said, breaking the silence.

"What is it Ed?"

"This…you and me…you know that we, we can't." Ed said quietly as he stared out the window.

He heard Winry expel a loud sigh, but that was all. No fight. No questions. No nothing.

"I knew you'd say that."

"And you're okay with it?" Ed asked as he moved his gaze to Winry.

"Damn it Ed! Of course I'm not!" Winry shouted as her grip on the steering wheel tightened.

"But…"

"_But _I understand. You're afraid that Kimblee would use me against you."

"And he would!"

"Yes, yes Ed I get it. But there's something you seem to have failed to realize." Winry said in an angry tone.

"What?"

"That unless you block yourself out to everyone in the world there is _always _going to be someone that's a weakness to you! Edward, you're a very caring guy and because of that if anyone was hurt because of Kimblee, you'd feel extremely guilty for it! I don't see how going from being your best friend in the whole world to your girlfriend would change the threat level Kimblee puts on me! Don't you understand this!?"

Ed sat there in his seat, silent. She did have a point, and Ed knew that. Still, he didn't want to think that there would be the slightest chance Kimblee would change his mind on Winry just because their relationship had changed. Ed was so deep in thought that he didn't even realize that Winry had stopped a few houses away from Ed's home until he noticed that they had stopped moving.

"Ed." Winry said as Ed opened the car door.

"Yeah?"

"I know you don't want another reason to worry about me and you also want me to be happy, but what you're doing, by forcing us to just stay friends, is making me extremely angry and annoyed at you. And I'm sure that this is making you annoyed and angry too. So how about you stop thinking about other people and their safety for once…and do what _you_ want to do."

"Win…"

"You better go." Winry said quickly. "Kimblee is already pissed off and he can probably see you sitting here from the living room. So go."

"Right…" Ed muttered as he climbed out of the car and shut the door. "And Winry," He added as she made a moveto put the car back into drive, "I'll…I'll be thinking about what you said."

Ed smiled at her before turning around and walking towards his house. Ed took a deep breath a he stood in front of his front door. Ed glanced over his shoulder and smirked; Winrywas still sitting in her car, watching him. Ed made a movement with his arm that told her 'go away', before he reached out and opened the door.

Unsurprising to Ed, Kimblee stood in the archway between the living room and the dinning room. His arms were crossed against his chest and he wore a furious expression. Ed made a mental note that he absolutely reeked of whiskey.

_Fuck, he's drunk._ Ed thought. _It's always the worse when he's drunk…_

"So." Kimblee began.

"So…What?" Ed asked.

"So where were you? At that slut's house?" He asked while motioning to the open window, proving Winry's theory true.

"She is not a slut." Ed growled.

"That doesn' matter. Every girl's a slut or a whore or a bitch. But you diden say that you weren' at that whore's house." Kimblee said, his voice slurring slightly.

"Well I wasn't at her house."

"Really? Then where were you?"

"Out."

"Don't be a smart ass to me! Where the fuck were you?!"

"I was _out_! By myself! Wandering about for town! Winry just saw me and took me home!"

"Really? Then why do you smell like beer?"

"Because we live in a place that has a bunch of taverns and such and some bum ran up to me and tossed an open beer at me!" Ed yelled thinking quickly.

"That's bullshit you little shit! Quit fucking lying to me!"

"I am not! Now just go to fucking bed you ass-hole before I have to knock you out!" Ed yelled while raising his automail arm threatenly.

"I'd like to see you try! You're such a fuckin' weakling you coudn' beat a baby!"

"Aren't you talking about yourself you imbecile?!"

"Really, if I'm a baby and I can kick your ass up and down the street, what does that make you?!"

"Congratulations! You can beat up a cripple! You must be _so _fucking proud of yourself!"

Before Ed knew what was happening, Kimblee must have slowly made his way over to Ed as they screamed, because now Kimblee was a mere foot away from Ed. Kimblee grinned down at him before raising his right fist.

"Well cripple boy…let's see what you can do."

Kimbleebrought his fist down, but Ed was ready for it. Ed managed to block the fist withthe side of his left before he swung his right arm up to Kimblee's head. Ed smiled when he heard the satisfying crunch of metal colliding with flesh and bone, but his glory was short lived. Kimblee managed to grabbed hold off Ed's automailand fling him to the ground with insane power. Lights twinkled in front of Ed's eyes as his head smashed into the nearby coffee table. Ed was able to rid his eyes of the offending colors just in time to see Kimblee bearing over him like a wolf would to a helpless rabbit.

Ed braced himself as he saw Kimblee readying himself for a beating. Feet, fists, legs and elbows barraged Ed's already soar body. Ed tried to fight him off but from this position, he had no way of escaping.

"That should teach you to talk back to me." Kimblee spat as he stared down at the semi-unconscious Ed. Kimblee kneeled down next to Ed and inspected his handy work.

"You know, sometimes I think you're just too much damn work. Maybe I should have just let that man take you away years ago so you could live happily-fucking-ever-after with your god-damn brother."

…_w-what?_

* * *

**Dun-Dun-DUN!**

**Okay so I have to say...I think this is my favorite chapter out of anything I've _ever_written before. I just loved writting all of it! Jean shooting beer cans, Roy's plan of attack, Ed and Winry's heart to heart, Ed and Kimblee's screaming...all of it! So I hope everyone really loved this chapter too!**

**Ugh...now that I've finished this chapter I have to go upstairs and study for my mid-terms tomorrow. (One day down...Two to go.)**

**Please drop a review!**

**-FSK**


	6. What's He Hiding?

**Hello readers! Thank you for reading and reviewing my last chapter!**

**Okay, so in the beginning of this chapter, it can be a little confusing with the italics and the normal so here's a little clarification: For the fist part, italics are what's going on in Ed's dream and the normal print are his thoughts. Once he wakes up, normal is speech and stuff and italics are thoughts or memories.**

**So, hope you love reading this chapter!**

* * *

"_Brother!"_

Who is that? Sammy? Terry? Kyle?

"_What is it Alphonse?"_

Alphonse? Who's Alphonse? And…where am I?

_A young boy, about eight or nine, came running towards him. He had a round and youthful face, big golden brown eyes, messy sandy blond hair, and a big smile on his face._

"_What is it Al?" Ed asked as he watched the boy pick up his pace._

Wait…this can't be me. I'm so…so little. And my arm, I have my arm and my leg. Am I dreaming?

"_Brother! Mom's making stew tonight!"_

"_Really?!"_

"_Yeah! I saw her making it. Let's get home soon, I'm starving."_

"_Me too!"_

Mom? I don't know who that is. Did I…I wonder if I ever had a mom. I wonder if I ever had a dad.

_The two small boys began to run up the quiet road, both wearing identical goofy smile._

"_Hey Al."_

"_Huh?"_

"_I'll race you there! First one there gets first helpings!"_

"_Brother I don't know why you do this to yourself." Al said as he let his head droop slightly so he could hide the sad smile that appeared on his face._

"_What are you talking about?"_

"_You always offer to race me but you never win!"_

"_I do so win! I've won oodles of times!"_

"_Really? Name one."_

"_Uh, well…I'm not a magician Al! I can't just whip things out of nowhere!"_

"_So you're saying that you can't remember a single time?"_

"_Ugh! Al! Just because I can't remember a time doesn't mean that I haven't!"_

"_Well here I thought you had a great memory."_

"_I do have a good memory! I just don't feel the need to remember every single victory I've had over you! I don't want to re-see your embarrassment."_

"_Oh why thank you Ed. You're so kind." Al said sarcastically._

"_I try. But come on! There's the house-."_

My home?

"_Let's race these last few feet!"_

"_Okay, okay fine Ed."_

"_On the count of three."_

"_One."_

"_Two."_

"_THREE!"_

_The two boys shot off at full speed down the road and towards a white, two-story house. The two boys were neck in neck; laughing and screaming with excitement as the front door came closer to them. Al reached out his tiny hand in an attempt to reach the front door first, but at the last second, Ed swatted his hand away and touched the door._

"_Yes! I win! Ha, Ha Al! You lose!"_

"_Only because you're a dirty cheater." Al muttered as he brushed off his dirty pant leg._

"_Mmm! I can smell the stew already! Let's get inside!"_

_Ed opened up the front door and jumped inside._

"_MOM! We're home!"_

"_Hello boys!" said a loving voice that came from the next room over._

"…Mom…" Ed mumbled in his sleep.

"_Mom! I just totally beat Al in a race!"_

"_Just barely." Al said while giving his brother a look._

"_Mom are you making stew?"_

"_Hmm, maybe. How about you come in here and see."_

_Ed quickly kicked off his extremely dirt sneakers off before he bolted towards the kitchen._

"_Here Ed, taste it. How did I do?"_

_Ed quickly sipped up the broth from the ladle and smiled; it was delicious. Ed turned his head to look up at his mother and-._

Ed's eyes flew was staring up at the ceiling in his living room. Due to the small rays of red sunlight that made its way into the living room, Ed reasoned that it was just passed sun up. Ed made a move to sit up, but the searing pain all over is body told him to stay on the floor.

_God damn Kimblee…How does someone get their jollies from beating up kids? Guys such a complete ass._

"…_Maybe I should have just let that man take you years ago so you could live happily-fucking-ever-after with your damn brother."_

Ed quickly sprung up from his spot on the floor, despite his body's extreme protests.

"Brother…?"

_Ed, don't believe that bastard. He's just trying to make you confused. _Ed told himself.

"Right." Ed muttered to himself as his head began to spin. "Can't even trust that bastard as far as I can throw him."

Ed moved his arm up and gripped onto the coffee table. He didn't want to lie on the ground, completely unprotected, any longer than he already had to. Now Ed tried to focus on what woke him up. It was early on a Saturday. The house was quiet as was the rest of the street.

_What was I dreaming about?_

Ed tried to remember what he had just dreamed but the details were slipping from his mind like water held in cupped hands.

_I was in it. But…but it wasn't me. Or at least not a me that I remember. And there was another boy. I can't remember his name. He called me something…what was it?_

"_Brother!"_

"…_you could live happily-fucking-ever-after with your damn brother._"

"…no. H-he _can't_ be right. I mean…how could I forget about having a brother?"

_I could forget I have a brother the same way I forgot the first 10 years of my life._

"Just ignore him Ed," Ed muttered to himself as he pushed himself off of the floor and into a standing position, "you were tired, slightly drunk, and just got the shit beaten out of you. You could have even imagined it. That's it. You're messed up little mind just made it up."

Ed forced himself up the stairs, down the hall, and onto is mattress. For hours, it seemed, Ed lay there, trying to fall asleep. Whenever he felt himself finally falling to sleep, his mind began to wander back to those few words that shook Ed to the core.

"Could I have a brother?" Ed wondered aloud as sunlight began to pour into his room through the curtain-less window.

Ed glanced over to the small lump on the other mattress. Terry was sound asleep, but Ed didn't want to risk him overhearing any of his ramblings.

Ed slowly got up and rummaged around into his book bag before pulling out a notebook and a pen. After scribbling a note to the kids, that he had gone out and would be back later, Ed ripped the paper out of the note book and placed it on his pillow. He couldn't think here, he needed to go somewhere else.

* * *

"Hey Roy." Jean muttered as he prodded the unconscious body with his foot.

He didn't respond.

"_Roy_." Jean hissed again but to no avail.

Jean repeated this process two more times before he changed his plans. Jean brought his foot back and before smashing his foot into Roy's shin.

"Ow! Dammit Jean!" Roy hissed as he rubbed his soar leg. "What the Hell was that for?"

"I wanted to talk." Jean whispered as he looked around at the other unconscious figures.

"'bout what?" Roy mumbled as he rubbed his eyes.

"About what you said in the car yesterday. About Ed and why no one's allowed to come inside his house."

"Oh…right." Roy said, seeming very much awake now.

"Come on. Let's go outside." Jean said as he stood up and began moving towards the sliding door that led to the back porch.

Roy stayed were he laid for a moment, thinking.

_Should I really tell him this? I mean, I know Ed trusts Jean but…I don't know if I feel comfortable telling jean someone else's business. _

"Roy, get out here." Jean muttered once he saw that Roy had not moved from his spot on the floor.

Roy let out a small sigh before getting up and maneuvering around the unconscious bodies to the back door.

Roy and Jean sat down on the old bench swing, the cool morning air quickly waking Roy up. The two sat in the silence for a few minutes, neither was sure as to how they should start this.

"So…what happened with Ed?" Jean asked as he pulled out a cigarette and a lighter from his pocket.

"Err…" Roy started.

"Okay. _When_ did it happen, how about that?"

"Well, it happened…let me see," Roy muttered as he counted back the years in his head, "it happened four years ago. When we were 12."

"And what happened?" Jean asked.

"Well…first of all. I don't even know if Ed knows that I know this. So don't go around telling people this."

"Well it all depends on what it's about. I mean if it's something extremely illegal, we should probably go report it."

"No. Ed might not know what I know, but I don't think we should go around messing with his life when he doesn't want us to."

"Fine, fine. So what the Hell happened?"

"Well…it all happened one day during the summer. A day just like this…"

* * *

Ed walked down the quiet street, hands shoved into the pockets of his jeans. There was only one person who he could even think about talking too right now, but he couldn't bring himself to walk to her house, wake her up, and ask her to help him with his own personal drama. So he kept walking straight, not sure of his destination. All he knew was that he needed to get away. It was times like this that he really wished he had a car so he could travel far away.

* * *

"It was before Winry's parents died, back when she lived right next to Ed. But it was after her parents had been shipped out, so she often stayed at her grandma's house. But that day, her grandma had to leave for the night so she stayed at her own house. Winry was afraid to sleep in that house by herself so me, Riza, and Ed slept over.

"It was…really fun. We all crashed around sun up, right on her back porch in our sleeping bags. But a few hours later, I heard something. I realized that someone was yelling. Then I realized that Ed and Winry were missing. Riza was still asleep so I got up as quietly as I could. I walked over to the hole in the fence and tried to see what was going on.

"Ed and Winry were standing on his back porch. I couldn't quite see who was yelling, but after a while I reasoned that it was Ed's foster dad. Winry was crying and it looked like she was pleading with him. Ed looked worried and angry and scared all at the same time. Apparently Ed wasn't supposed to be at Winry's house that night. I don't know if he was grounded, if Kimblee didn't want a co-ed sleep over, I have no idea. Ed must've snuck out of his room and went to Winry's. Kimblee was yelling that Ed was in so much trouble and that he was going to call Winry's grandmother that she had boys spend the night over when there were no adults over. It must've worried Winry because she was just a wreck."

"Then what happened?" Jean asked, deeply intrigued by the story.

"Kimblee said some stuff that was way below the belt. I don't quit remember what he said, but whatever he said ticked Ed off. Ed lunged at Kimblee and tried to pound his face in."

"Typical Ed." Jean said with a small smile.

"Yeah…well, Kimblee grabbed him and threw him to the ground. And then…"

_Then Kimblee proceeded to stomp all over Ed._ Roy thought, his mind drifting back to that horrid day from long ago.

"Then Kimblee kicked Ed a few times…"

_More like a ten times._

"What?" Jean said in disgust. "He actually did that?"

"Yeah. But that's not all. Needless to say, Winry was extremely upset over this and started sobbing and screaming loudly. Then Kimblee turned on Winry."

"W-What did he do to her?" Jean asked quietly in a tone that said that he wasn't even sure if he wanted to here the rest.

"He grabbed onto her arm and told her to shut the Hell up before she woke up the whole damn neighbor hood. But she couldn't stop. So Kimblee…"

Roy closed his eyes in and attempt to bloke out the high-pitched scream that seemed to be stuck forever in his mind.

"…Kimblee tightened his grip on her arm and…threw her."

"What! Threw her?! W-Where! Was she alright?!"

"Let me finish." Roy said quietly. "It seemed to me, that he meant to throw her over the porch railing but she seemed to have fought back. So, instead, she ended up being thrown across the porch and into the corner."

"W-was she alright?"

"Yeah. He sprained her wrist during the struggle. And she whacked her head against the porch but besides that, she was fine.

"Then Kimblee realized all the sound he had made and ran to make sure he didn't, I don't know, kill her, because she wasn't exactly moving right away. He picked her up and I saw him moving towards the gate between the yards, so I quickly ran back to the porch and pretended to be asleep.

"He placed her back into her sleeping bag and waited for her to wake up. It only took a few minutes. Once she was awake, Kimblee gripped her head, looked her straight in the eyes, and said…'If you dare run and tell your little grandma about what just happened, well, let's just say that your little friend Ed won't be able to play for a long time'. Then he went back and I guess he took Ed inside."

"You got to be kidding me?" Jean asked in a quiet and shocked voice.

"I wish I was."

"Well…what do we do?"

"What do you mean?"

"I mean what do we do about Ed of course! He's being abused! We can't just sit here and wait for him to get the shit beaten out of him!"

"Jean. We can't just barge into someone else's lives that we don't know that much about."

"Then…what _can_ we do?"

"We wait. Wait until Ed _asks_ for help."

"Ed? Ask for help? You do realize that that will take, like, 50 years?"

"Yes. But until that day, we just shut up and pretend we don't know anything, okay?"

"Right."

Little did the two teens know, but the day they were waiting for would come sooner than they originally though; a lot sooner.

* * *

**So what do you think is going to happen? People are finding out the truth behind Ed's home life...this can only mean trouble.**

**Thanks for reading! Please leave a review for this chapter! :)**

**-FSK**


	7. In need of assistance

**Hello everyone! Thank you to everyone who reviewed last chapter! (Yay! 8!)**

**Sorry if there are some grammar or spelling mistakes, I'm really tired and I just got back home after spending the weekend at my sisters' college. It was really fun but now I'm completely drained...I really don't want to go to school tomorrow.**

**I hope everyone loves this chapter!**

* * *

"See you guys later." Jean said as he waved good bye to his friends.

"See ya!"

Jean turned around and began walking down Maes' drive way. His world had been turned upside-down earlier today and his head was reeling with all of the knowledge that had been recently put into it.

_How could Roy know this for _years_ and not tell anyone about his? How could he stand by and watch his friend get abused?! It's not right!_

"What have I gotten myself into?" Jean asked himself out loud as he kicked a nearby can. "What am I supposed to do about it?"

_I can't understand how Roy was able to stand this! I've known for two hours and it's already driving me crazy! I _have_ to tell someone!_

"No." Jean told himself. "This could most possibly be the biggest secret that you have ever known. You will not go and have it spread around like some little high school rumor."

_But there has to be someone I can talk to…Wait! Winry!_

Jean quickly turned onto the next street and began running towards her home.

* * *

Twenty minutes later, Jean found himself standing on Winry's front porch, knocking on her door. After a moment of waiting, the door opened revealing Winry's miniature grandmother as she always looked: small, wrinkling, and with a pipe in her mouth.

"Oh! Hello Ms. Rockbell."

"Hello Jean. And what do you need at this early hour?"

"Um, is Winry up? I kind of need to talk to her."

"I'll go get her. I think I heard some noises coming from her room a little while ago."

"Thank you."

"Would you like to come inside or stay loitering on my front porch?" Pinako asked as she took the pipe out of her mouth.

"Um yes. Thank you." Jean said as he moved inside and sat down on one of the couches in the living room.

As Jean waited for Winry to arrive downstairs, he pulled out a cigarette, popped it into his mouth, and lit it. Jean didn't worry about what Pinakowould say, she always told stories about how she had smoked before she could even drive. Moments later, Winry appeared on the stairs, along with her grandma.

"Jean, what have I told you about smoking in my house?" Winry asked in an exasperated tone.

"I don't see what the problem is? Your grandma smokes almost as much as I do!"

"So what?" Pinako asked. "When I started, I didn't know how bad it was and I've been addicted like this for decades. You on the other hand, have smoking warnings thrown all in your face. You should know better."

Jean rolled his eyes as he put his cigarette out in a nearby ashtray.

"So what did you need Jean?" Winry asked, remember the reason for coming downstairs.

"Uh, I need to talk to you."

"Okay." Winry said, slightly taken back by the usually care-free teen's serious expression. "Let's go up to my room."

Jean followed Winry up the stars and into her room. Winry made her way across the room and over to the sliding door that lead to her balcony. The two teens sat down onto the old musty couch that their friends had rescued from a front lawn and carried throughout the town only two summers ago. (1)

"So what did you need to talk to me about?"

"Well…it's about something that Roy told me."

"Which is?"

"Uh…I guess I'll just come out and say it," Jean took a deep breath before he continued. "You know about Ed, right? I mean about his home and…Kimblee?"

Winry's facial expression quickly changed from worry to shock to sadness. She sat there quietly for a moment before she spoke in a soft and sad voice that Jean had not heard in years.

"How did…when did you…_Roy _told you?" Winry stuttered as she struggled for the right words.

"Yeah. Last night-or well I guess this morning actually."

"How'd you find out? I mean, how did he tell you?"

"He…he told me a story about how Kimblee got pissed off at you and Ed and how he hurt you guys."

Winry, subconsciously it seemed, grabbed onto her wrist and rubbed it gently. Her eyes seemed to fog slightly as her mind drifted back to that day summers ago.

"I was wondering when Roy would spill it." Winry said quietly with a small smile. "He lasted longer than I expected him to."

"So how long have _you_ known?"

Winry stared in Jeans' eyes. The pain that was held in her eyes made Jean want to go straight to Ed's house and beat the life out of Kimblee.

"I've know since he got his automail." She answered quietly. "Since he was about 11."

"Alright but there is one thing that I just cannot understand."

"What is it?"

"Even though Ed and Roy fight like they want to kill each other most of the time, I still know that Roy cares about Ed. And I know how much you fucking love that kid Winry. But what I can't even _begin_ to understand is _how_ in the world do you manage to keep this secret? How can you see your friend _every _day and not think about what he's going through?!"

"Jean-." Winry began.

"Here I thought you were a great, caring person but now, I really think that I have to reconsider my views on you, Roy too. Don't you care at all how Ed feels?!"

"Jean-!"

"Let me finish Winry! I want to know what you think when you walk home with him every day and see that house! I want to know what you think when you see Ed…limping! Or has a black eye! Or has something wrong with him because of that man!"

"JEAN HAVOC!" Winry shouted as she stood up.

Jean had been too busy ranting to notice what he was doing to his friend. Tears were running down her face and she was shaking, but not with sadness: She was shaking with pure rage. Jean knew, at that moment, that he had crossed a line that was never meant to be crossed.

"You think that I don't _care _about Edward?" Winry asked in a deadly whisper. "You think I _want _Edward to live in that Hell-hole? You think that when I first found out about this, I wasn't shocked or furious at all?"

"Win I-I didn't mean to…" Jean muttered as he coward in Winry's wake.

"You honestly think that when Roy saw what had happened to Ed and me, he didn't come rushing over to my house and beg me to tell someone? That he didn't care that one of his best friends had to go home every night to a house that only held hate and fear for him?"

"Winry-."

"_Shut up Jean_! You wanted to make all of these damn accusations about me, so I'm going to go ahead and correct them! You dare think that when I walk him home, I don't even _think_ about what he has to go through?! You're insane! I'll let you know what I do and have done every day since I found out."

Winry bent down and placed her hands on either side of Jean's head. If someone was to walk in through the door, they would think something totally different was going on. Winry glared into Jean's blue eyes for a moment before she spoke.

"Every damn day, I practically_ beg_ Ed to come and move in to this house with me. Everyday. And the only reason I didn't go to the police was because Edward _pleaded_ with me to not go to the police or tell anyone else. You have no idea how upset he was, being unable to stop the man that hurt me. And that's the thing! He doesn't give a damn about himself. All he cares about are his friends and those poor foster children that he has to take care of and protect. So don't you _dare_ think that I don't care about him or that I don't have my reasons for not going and telling someone."

"S-S-Sorry. I-I didn't realize-."

"Damn straight you didn't realize." Winry growled before she collapsed onto the couch next to Jean and attempted to stop the new flow of tears that were now running down her face.

"I'm sorry…"

"I-It's alright." Winry sniffed. "I understand. You're reaction proved to me that you really care about Ed and that you have a heart."

"Right…but I have another question."

"What is it?"

"How did Roy tell you that he knew? I mean, he seems like the kind of person who would just go straight to the police after finding out."

"Well he actually kept quiet for a little while. About a week after that day, he came to me and asked me how I had hurt my wrist exactly."

"Oh. Well do you think…do you think Ed will ever do anything about everything that he's gong through?"

"Oh, I'm sure he will. He's probably just waiting for the right time."

"Probably."

Jean left Winry's house and hour later after they had finished talking about Ed while slowing sipping sodas that Winry had produced. Once she had shown Jean the door, Winry collapsed onto her bed, exhausted.

"Edward…" Winry muttered with a sigh. "What in the world am I going to do with you?"

* * *

"Hello?" Roy asked as he answered his phone, hours later.

"_Uh…hey Roy."_

"Ed? What's up little biddy?"

"_Stop calling me that! I'm hardly any shorter than you are!"_

"Alright, sorry. But what's up?"

"_Um, I kinda…need your help with something."_

"What kind of something?" Roy asked after a short pause. After all that Roy had talked about today, he couldn't really suppress the hope that was slowly rising in his stomach.

"_Well I kind of need a ride somewhere."_

"What kind of somewhere?"

"_Can you stop with the twenty questions? Now can I bum a ride off of you or not?"_

"Yeah, of course you can."

"_And I also need another favor if you don't mind doing this for me."_

"Well it all depends on what kind of favor it is."

"_You remember the time you had to break the lock on your front door after you came home after curfew?"_

"Of course I do. So it's safe to assume you need me to break into some place."

"_I sure am glad I don't have to beat around the bush with you."_

"Well then where should I pick you up from?"

"_I'm at the park."_

"Alright. See you in ten."

"_Right, bye."_

"Bye."

Roy closed his phone before shoving it in his pocket. What was Ed up to? And why was he asking for his help? Roy pushed these questions out of his mind before getting up off of his bed and walking out of his bedroom.

* * *

**(1)A few years ago when I was like, 12, me and four of my other friends found a couch on someones lawn and we took it. Then for a few hours we just walked around the town carrying a couch while slowly picking up more and more garbage(which included a small table/stool thing and two car tires). Eventually we got to our friends house and we set up the couch and all of the other things up on his front porch. I was totally pissed off when I heard that they had to get rid of it a few days later. I mean, it was only blocking one door, it's no that much of a fire hazard.**

**I wonder what Ed needs Roy for. Hmm...Well you're all just going to have to wait until the next chapter to find out, but I already have about 85% of chapter 8 ready so I might update it a little earlier.**

**-FSK**


	8. The Truth Revealed

**Happy Friday everyone! Thanks for all of the reviews! Here's a really long chapter for you! (Almost 3,000 words :O)**

**Okay, so I'm super excited about this chapter since I've had the last half written probably as long as I've had the second chapter out. But I'm super _super_excited because this is just a very important chapter! (fan-girl squeal)**

**Enjoy!**

* * *

Roy drummed his fingers onto the dashboard as he waited for the street light to turn green; his patience for the street contraption was wearing thin. Finally the light turned green, allowing Roy to take his foot from the brake to the accelerator and speed down the street.

_Ring….ring…_

Roy looked down onto the passengers' seat in time for him to see his cell phone fall off of the seat and into the clutter that covered his car floor.

"Damn." He muttered before glancing at the road ahead of him. Once he had deemed it safe to take his eyes off of the road, Roy bent down and searched frantically for his cell phone.

"Gotcha!" Roy exclaimed once his fingers had grabbed hold of elusive plastic and pulled it up with the rest of his body. "Hello?"

"_Yo, Roy!"_ Jean yelled.

Roy let out a long sigh while pinching the bridge of his nose with his thumb and forefinger. He didn't really have time for the antics of Jean Havoc at this moment.

"What is it Jean?"

"_Geez, don't sound so pleased to hear me."_

"Sorry Jean but I'm not really in the mood to talk to you or anyone else."

"_Who put a stick up your ass?"_

"No one. It's just…well Ed asked me to do a favor for him and he sounded kinda serious for once. And with everything that I've talked about over the passed day, I can't help but shake the feeling this has something to do with his family."

"_You think, or you want?"_

"Think, want, what's the difference?" Roy growled as he made a sharp turn onto a new street.

"_Well what'd he say?"_

"All he said was that he needed me to break into somewhere for him and then he texted me a few minutes ago and told me it'd be a while out of the way so I needed to make sure I had gas."

"_Well if you guys are gong on some sort of adventure I want to come along too!"_

"Jean, I don't know what the Hell he needs and if he only wants me to come then that's what's going to happen."

"_Come on! If he sees me and wants me to leave, I'll make myself scarce. Just come and pick me up."_

"Your house is in the opposite direction from were I'm going and I'm already late. I can't."

"_But I'm not at my house. I'm at the library."_

"What the Hell are you of all people doing at a _library_?" Roy asked in an astonished voice; the idea of Jean Havoc sitting in a library, more importantly a non-smoking library, was baffling to Roy.

"_Ugh…long story short, I was trying to score a date with this hot girl who works there as a re-shelving person. Didn't work out that well."_

"Sorry man."

"_Yeah well…so can you pick me up?"_

"Fine. Just be outside the doors in a minute or I'm leaving your ass there."

"_Awesome. See you."_

"Bye."

* * *

Only a few minutes later, Roy was closing in on his destination of the park, Jean now sitting in the passengers' seat. Roy parked against the curb before pulling out his phone and sending Ed a text that he was here.

"And you swear that if Ed wants you gone, you're leaving?"

"Yes, yes." Jean sighed as he stretched his arms up through the roofless car.

"Alright. Oh, here he comes."

Ed slowly walked across the grassy field. He had spotted the blond spikes that seemed to sprout out of Jean Havoc's head long before he could make out and other distinguishing features. Ed let out a small sigh as he approached the Jeep.

"What the Hell is this?" Ed asked while motioning towards Jean.

"I saw him and he bummed a ride. I tried to shake him off but the damn sucker wouldn't budge. And look at the bright side, if we need a get away driver, we have one right here." Roy said with a small smile.

"Whatever. You can come along but get your ass out of that seat."

"Fine." Jean said with an air of forced unhappiness.

"So where are we going Ed?" Roy asked once everyone was in their seat and buckled in.

"I got the directions up here." Ed said while pointing to his head. "Just get onto the highway."

"Alright."

* * *

"You sure this is the place?" Roy asked apprehensively as he stared at the big gray building in front of him.

After nearly an hour and a half of driving, most of it was in circles due to Edward's faulty directions, they finally reached Ed's much wanted destination.

"Yeah." Ed said quietly, "this is it." Ed closed his eyes as memories flew around his mind.

_He was lying in a hospital bed. The light in the room were off and the door was shut, but Edward could still make out shadows of doctors and nurses talking rapidly about something or someone important. They were talking about him…_

_He was being pushed in a wheel chair down a grey corridor by an overly cheerful, gum-popping nurse. She was chatting on and on about something that Ed wasn't focused on; he was too fixated at the moment with what was left of his right arm and left leg to bother with the women's chattering…_

_Ed was wobbling down the same, newly painted, corridor, now with a prosthetic leg that could just barley support his weight. The same nurse had placed one of her hands on his back, helping the wobbling boy along…_

"Ed?" Roy's voice broke into his skull, bringing Ed back to reality.

"Yeah?"

"Are you alright? You kinda spaced out."

"I'm fine. Let's just get in there and get this over with." Ed said with a sigh as he jumped out of the car, shoved his hands into his pockets, and began walking towards the building.

"Um Ed?"

"Yeah?" Ed asked as he looked at Roy's puzzled face.

"Mind telling us where we're breaking into?"

"It's where my old social worker and nurse used to work."

"Really?" Jean asked in mild surprise. "Cause this place looks totally run down."

"I said _used to_. She left it a while ago. She just keeps all of her old case files here because there were too may to take with her when she switched buildings."

"Wait!" Roy said, sounding suddenly urgent.

"What is it?"

"You mean your _smoking hot_ nurse? Gen? The one with the red hair and _great_ body?"

"Is that the only thing you can remember about a women?" Ed asked in an exasperated voice.

"What else am I supposed to say? She had red hair and a nice body. And besides, she thought I was cute."

"Roy you arrogant fuck, you were _twelve_. She was like twenty-five. I highly doubt that she wanted to bang you."

"What are you talking about? I was a killer twelve year old."

"The only thing you were a killer to was that squirrel that you accidentally set on fire when you were ten." Jean piped in from the back seat.

"Ha, ha." Roy said in a coolly. "And because of that little comment, you get to be get away driver."

"What? I wanna come along too!"

"No." Ed said. "You remember what happened the last time we didn't have a get away driver."

"Oh…yeah, right." Jean said with a small smile appearing on his face. "Well then I'll be right here."

Roy opened his car door and followed behind Ed, who had begun to walk closer to the building.

"So what's our first step?" Roy asked once he had caught u with Ed.

"Well first we have to make sure the alarms are off. Even if this place looks like a waste land, there could still be alarms.

"Alarms! You didn't tell me anything about alarms! Un-uh, not doing this. I'm not spending_ another_ night in jail because of you."

"Come on Roy. I swear if the alarms gets tripped and guards or police come, I'll try not to out run you too much so maybe you won't have to be hauled away to jail by yourself."

"How sweet."

"Hey, take what you can get. But come on. We have to get to the other side of the building so we can find the secret entrance way."

Roy stopped and stared at Ed's slowly shrinking backside as Ed broke into a run. What had he gotten himself into?

* * *

"Thanks Roy." Ed said as he stared at his friends' handiwork.

"No problem. Just one question." Roy said as he wiped his dirty hands onto his pants.

"What's that?" Ed asked as he peaked around the corners for the millionth time.

"May I ask why the Hell you had me break into someone's office?"

"You could, but I don't think I'd answer you." Ed said with a small smile.

"Seriously. Why _are_ you trying to get into this place so badly? 'Cuz if it's something _extremely_ illegal, then you owe my. Big time."

"Crap." Ed muttered after he entered the dark room and looked around.

The office could only be considered an office for the mere fact that outside the door was a name plate that read 'Office of G. Solaris'. Almost directly in front of the door, a small wooden chair was smashed against a small wooden desk that was covered in several piles of paper. The rest of the office space was used up by probably twenty or so filing cabinets.

"This'll take for fuckin' _ever._" Roy groaned. "Are you sure-whatever the hell this is- is so bloody important that you have to do it _now_? Can't you make like, an appointment or something?"

"No." Ed said firmly. "I have to do this now while I have the chance."

Roy stared at his friend for a moment. He had known Ed for years, but never had he heard him talk with so much conviction or wear such a serious expression. Roy let out a heavy sigh before ruffling up the back of his black hair.

"Look," Ed began, "You can go back to the car with Jean if you want. Or drive around the block a few time-I don't care. Just let me do this."

"What are you talking about? I can't leave you here by yourself."

"Really?"

"Or at least let me break the locks on these filing cabinets. You always were shit at breaking locks." Roy added with a cocky grin.

"Alright."

"So I know you won't tell me but I think I should at least know _something_ about what we're doing. I mean, if you want me to help, I need to know what the Hell I'm looking for, right."

"Yeah." Ed agreed quietly.

"Well…what the Hell are you looking for?" Roy asked a little impatiently when Ed didn't say anything useful.

"Uh, well let's see if this crap if alphabetized. Because if it's not, I don't think we could find what I'm looking for in a month."

"What letter does it start with?"

"…E." Ed answered, slightly hesitant.

Roy opened his mouth to say something along the lines of 'as in Elric?' but he stopped himself. Ed had been acting weird the entire car ride here.

Roy suddenly realized why Ed had insisted Jean stay in the car but let Roy come along without so much as a fight. Roy had already dealt with this…this orphan/foster crap while Jean had always had his 'normal' blood family right there next to him. Roy remembered years ago, when he desperately wanted to know who the Hell his parents were. It had been Hell and Roy was relived that he didn't have to go through that ever again.

"Well these two cabinets say 'A'." Roy said as he inspected a nearby cabinet.

"This one says 'C'."

"Thank God your names at the start of the alphabet." Roy sighed as he blew some dust off of an older cabinet.

"Yeah. If we were looking for you, I think I'd give up here."

The two fought their way through the cluster of cabinets. Their optimisms had been high at the beginning, mainly because they didn't realize that the few cabinets that had been by them were coincidentally at the front of the alphabet.

"Seriously man." Roy panted as he crawled on top of a row of cabinets. "I don't think I can break another lock."

"Come on, come on. Where are you?" Ed muttered to himself as he hung upside-down from a cabinet in the back of the room while he read several files that where laid out on the window sill in front of him.

"Ed. I'm sorry. But come on. It's almost two. We've been at this for almost _three hours._ I don't think I can do any more."

"Well then go out and sleep in the car with Jean!" Ed growled, as he shoved yet another file into a cabinet and slammed it shut.

"Trust me I would if I could get out of here." Roy muttered darkly as he crawled along his stomach to the door.

"Wait! Roy can you unlock this one back here? It's the last one with an 'E' on it."

Roy hopped down from the cabinet he was just perched on and did his best to make it over to Ed. Roy pulled out one of his last hair pins from his pocket and stuck it in the lock. After a few minutes of fiddling around with it, the door popped open.

Ed proceeded to search the highest files while Roy moved to the ones in the middle. Ed had almost reached the back of his pile when Roy stopped him.

"Ed…"

By the tone of his voice, Ed knew he had found it. The file with his last name, then his first…Ed looked down at Roy and froze.

There was nothing in his hands.

"W-wait, my, my file wasn't…wasn't in there?" Ed asked in a confused and dazed voice.

Ed stared down into Roy's eyes and was instantly infuriated. Roy's face wore a solemn expression. But his eyes…his damn eyes were absolutely laughing at him; a tell-tale sign that Roy Mustang was attempting to pull a fast one. Ed snapped his mouth shut before he punched Roy on the top of his head.

"What the Hell was that for?!"

"For being an ass, ass! Now give me that goddamn file before a smash your pretty little head in!"

"Alright, alright here you go." Roy said as he massaged the spot on top of his head and handed Ed the file. "Um…I'll go wait outside with Jean."

"'Kay." Ed muttered as he stared down at the file that was in his hands.

Ed waited until he heard the door shut behind Roy before he even dare to open the small, manila folder that seemed to weight more than paper should.

_Now or never Ed…you have to know!_

"But…but what if I _don't_ have a brother. What if that bastard was just screwing with me?"

_Well, the answer is in your hands. Just open it and find out!_

Ed took a long and deep breath before he opened the folder and read.

The first page was the file that they had started when Ed had first come here. It had his name, age, date of birth…those sorts of things. The next few sheets were of physiological evaluations and records of meetings with several different psychiatrists about his memory loss and about adjusting to his foster home. But the last sheets were what concerned them him.

"A-a P.I. was…was looking for me?"

Ed stared down at the sheet and felt his hands tremble. Someone had looked for him! Someone out there had honestly tried to find him! Years ago! But who had wanted to see him was the question. He studied at the sheet as best as he could before realized that whoever was looking for him, obviously didn't sign this paper. But someone _did_ sign it, and it infuriated Ed to read the name that was scrawled on the sheet of paper.

"Zolf J. Kimblee." Ed growled in a poisonous tone.

That Bastard knew! He knew there was someone that was looking for him! More importantly, that bastard _kept _the person that wanted to find him away from him! Someone that could possibly take him away from his Hell!

"…but if he knew about the P.I. then, then maybe h-he wasn't lying."

Ed quickly reopened the file open and moved to the back but…but there was nothing…any paper saying that, yes, he did have someone that cared about him.

"Dammit…" Ed muttered as he slid off of the cabinet and onto the floor. "Great. I know _someone_ wants to know where the Hell I am but I have no idea who…For all I know it could just be an old friend with some money."

Ed bent down to place the file back were it had come from when Ed noticed a piece of paper that was trapped under his shoe. Ed picked it up with a shaking had and turned it over.

"What…what is this?" Ed whispered to himself as he stared at the sheet of paper. "I-I can't believe it…this can't be true…I have…I have a-a…"

It was written there, right there in black and white; the proof that he had been searching for. This, this simple piece of paper answered so many questions he had had over the past several years while living in that Hell with Kimblee. But no matter how many times Ed stared at the paper, he still couldn't believe it.

"…I have a brother…"

* * *

**Oh snap. Ed knows! What's going to happen next?!**

**Please review lots for me! :)**

**-FSK**


	9. The Beginning

**Hello readers! Thank you for everyone who reviewed last chapter (11, that makes me _so_happy!). And because so many people reviewed, I decided to give you chapter 9 early! :D**

* * *

"How…how can this be?" Ed whispered at he stared at the sheet of paper that was slowly becoming more and more crinkled in his shaking hands.

Ed had no idea how much time had passed as he stared at the sheet of paper. He was only shaken from his zombie-like state when he felt a slight vibration going of in his pocket. Ed put his shaking hand into his pocket and pulled out his phone; it was Roy.

"H-hello?" Ed answered, trying to force his voice to calm down.

"_Ed, did you find what you needed?"_ Roy asked in a slightly urgent voice.

"Yeah…I found it…"

"_Good because we've got company."_

"Wait, what?" Ed asked, now brought completely back from his state of mind.

"_Jean just heard some police sirens! And he thinks he saw the lights pull into the front of the building!"_

"Where are you guys?" Ed asked urgently as he slipped the sheet of paper into his hoodie pocket before shoving his file into the file cabinet and slamming it shut.

"_I'm sorry but we had to get out of there."_

"What?! Then what am I supposed to do?!" Ed asked as he began weaving in and out of the file cabinets as fast as he possibly could.

"_Climb out of the window and then run across the field that's behind the building. Jean and I are parked right by there."_

"What?! Who the Hell came up with that idea?!" Ed yelled as he changed direction so he could escape out through the window.

"_Just come on! I think the police just got inside! You've got about sixty second to get out of there!"_

Ed made a noise similar to that of an injured animal before he ended the call and shoved his phone in his pocket next to the paper. Ed fought with the window lock for a moment before it opened, releasing cool, summer night air into the stuffy office. He glanced over his shoulder for a second before he jumped out of the window and onto the hard concrete of the parking lot.

The sounds of police running through the halls of the building he had just vacated sent much needed adrenaline into his system. Ed forced his soar body across the field of knee high grass and towards the bright lights that, he knew, belonged to Roy's Jeep.

"Ed! Come on! Hurry!" The two teens shouted as they saw the outline of their friend come closer and closer.

As Ed finally reached the Jeep, he grabbed onto the door, jumped over the side of the Jeep and landed in the back seat. Once Roy saw that Ed was inside the vehicle, he slammed his foot onto the accelerator and speed down the dark road.

"That was close." Roy said once he felt it was safe to talk.

"You could say that again." Jean said with a small smile.

"Hey Ed," Roy said in a shaky but completely pissed off voice.

"Y-yeah?" Ed asked quietly.

"Um, remind me to _never_ do a favor for you that involves breaking into a place! Scratch that! Remind me to never do _any_ favor for you again! If you want to get into someplace you go and pick the God damn locks yourself!"

When Roy didn't receive some snarky comment in return, Roy looked up into his review mirror, expecting to see Ed's golden eyes, possibly glaring daggers at him. Instead, Roy saw Edward, his eyes closed and his head was tilted back against the head rest. Whether Ed was asleep or not, Roy couldn't tell, so he let him sit there in silence.

* * *

Ed sat on top of his bed. His arms were rapped around his knees, which were pressed against his chest. Hours had passed since Roy had dropped him off at his house and the then dark sky was now a beautiful orange/lavender color; a color Ed could not appreciate or ever begin to care about because his mind was still in shock from his previous outings.

Twenty-four hours.

Twenty-four hours was all it took for his life to become completely flipped upside-down. As Ed sat in the darkness of his room, his thoughts drifted to the several 'what ifs' that he thought he had pushed out of his mind years ago along with new ones that his mind had created, due to what he had just recently learned.

_What if I still have a mother?_

_What if I still have a father?_

_What if my parents are looking for me?_

_What if my brother's just as lost as I am?_

_What if he doesn't know anything at all, just I was?_

_What if all of them are together?_

_What if they're not looking for me?_

_What if Kimblee caused them to stop looking?_

_What if he told them a lie, like I didn't want to see them?_

_What if this just a huge scheme created by Kimblee to destroy my life…?_

Ed ran his hands over his tired face. He really should have slept. He was exhausted and the adrenaline from before was now beginning to wear off. Edward stifled the yawn that attempted to break free of his mouth and pulled out the, now extremely crumpled, piece of paper and scanned over it again, as if hoping there was a new bit of information he had missed the other times that he had read it over the past few hours.

_Name…Alphonse Elric... He must have been the kid in my dream._

Edward quickly tried to remember the dream but when he found it impossible to remember any details he returned to the paper and re-read more.

_Date of Birth…July 8__th__ 1994…he's a year younger than me. _

Ed moved his eyes across the other useless information until he reached the end of the page. Just like the other times before, anticipation grew in the pit of his stomach as he read and then was completely eradicated from him when he reached the last line

_Current Location: __-------------__Unknown_

Ed could tell the document had been tampered with, or at the very least, the information had changed but no one felt like making the change look formal. The original location was scribbled through to the point of no recognition and next to it in thin handwriting that was oddly familar was the word, unknown.

Ed re-folded the paper and placed it back into his hoodie pocket. Once he had made sure the paper was safely tucked inside, Ed closed his eyes and leaned back until the back of his head hit the wall with a soft 'thump'. He let out a sigh in an attempt to calm his buzzing mind.

His life had been fine, crazy when it came to his home life but fine all the same; he had a pretty good understanding of what was going on. But now…now he had no idea as to what to do. Should he try to find where his brother is? Or should he try to find out who had sent out the investigation out on him? Should he tell the others or go running blindly on his own? How would he get to wherever it was that his brother lived if they decided to go?

"Damn it…" Ed muttered as he ran his hands through his loose hair.

Ed turned, looked out of his bedroom window, and remembered that it was here, in this very room, where his life had changed for the better for once. Looking back on it, it seemed so long ago but at the same time, it felt like last week. Ed let himself fall onto his bed in exhaustion and allowed his mind to wonder back to the fateful day…

* * *

(1)"So what do you think of Mister Kimblee Edward?" asked his overly chipper nurse as she wheeled him into his new room.

Ed didn't respond, but this didn't bother his nurse one bit; he would go through days at a time when he wouldn't say a single word.

"Let's open up some curtains! It's so dark in here."

Ed let the women do as she pleased until she was done and gone. He had learned that it was just easier to let her be.

"So Edward, do you think you'll want to go to school? I hear they have a great school system here. But of course I'll understand if you don't think you're ready."

Ed stared out of the window for a moment as the young nurse chatted on and on to no one in particular. He closed his eyes, so he could block out the offending sun light, before letting his head drop, causing his chin hit his small chest.

"Edward."

His nurse kneeled in front of him and when Ed didn't make any note of her, she moved her hand to his chin and forced his eyes to look into hers.

Ed stared at his young nurse for a moment. She had obviously dyed her hair because no one on this earth was born with hair _that _candy-apple red. Even though her large green eyes always held concern for him, Ed never truly believed she gave damn about him.

_I'm just a pay check to her. Nothing else._

"Edward."

"Geneva." Ed muttered as his eyes were forced to look into hers.

"Edward…you know that I'm not just your Nurse or your counselor. I'm your friend."

"And a shrink." Ed added quietly.

"Yes, yes. I am a shrink. But that's not all I am! I'm also a very dedicated person." She added with a overly sugar-sweet smile.

"Well aren't you just special." Ed said, his voice dripping in sarcasm.

"Why yes I am very special!" Geneva said, clearly not detecting the sarcasm in Ed's voice. "And do you know why I'm a special person?"

"Because as you started college at the age of 16, you decided to jam a bunch of high-paying jobs together so that you could 'save the world and all of its misfortunate youths' but now you're so busy drowning in student loans that you can only find time to save the world 'one kid at a time' before you go home to your lonely apartment and talk to your cat until you fall asleep while watching Wheel of Fortune? …Did I hit the nail a bit too close to the head on that one?" Ed added in a quieter tone when her smile began to falter.

"You're…you're a very good thinker Edward. I'm sure once you start school you'll blow all of your teachers out of the water with your…with your intelligence and _sense of humor_."

"Uh huh. How about for once you stop shooting sunshine and lollipops out of every orifice and smack me over the head like you really want to."

"Edward, I would never want to hit you! Even though sometimes I think you might need it. But no, that's not the way I handle things. But back to my original point. I'm a special person because I get to wake up every morning and help people get back on their feet! And-."

"Don't you mean foot?" Ed interjected as he wiggled his only right foot.

"Oh! Oh I'm, I'm sorry! I d-didn't mean-!"

Ed rolled his eyes at his near hysteric nurse/counselor/shrink and let out an audible sigh. She really could not realize when someone was joking. It was almost _sad._

"Geneva. Relax. I was joking."

"Oh! Um, yes. Joking. Ha, ha…ha, ha." Geneva said while her face began to tinge pink with embarrassment. "But, uh, remember that if you ever have any problems with anything, you can come to me. Because I-."

"Yeah, yeah. You're a very special person. I get it. You don't need to go preachin' to me. Just wheel me over to my damn bed and let me sleep."

"Fine. Let me just help you with your things." Geneva said as she got up from the floor.

_I guess this could be a lot worse…I mean I don't have to share my room with some snot nosed little brat. I get my own room. And that Kimblee guy said that there's only one other boy here who's not that much younger than me._

Ed's eyes traveled around his room. He had a bed, (really it was just a mattress with some bedding but he wasn't ging to complain since it was easier for him), a night stand with a lamp on it, and a dresser that Geneva was currently stuffing clothes into. As Ed looked around his room, he suddenly felt eyes on him. He looked to Geneva but saw that her back was still turned to him. He then looked to the door way but Mr. Kimblee wasn't there. Ed then turned to the window and felt his stomach drop.

Staring at him from the next house over was the prettiest girl Ed had ever seen. She had long blond hair held back into a pony-tail and big blue eyes that looked at him with interest. The girl gave him a small, shy smile before waving to him. Ed, having never talked to a girl like her before, let his head drop so that his face, that was now quickly becoming a color similar to Geneva's dye job, would be mostly hidden from her. After a moment, Ed peaked up from the corner of his eye and, to his disappointment but at the same time slight relief, saw that the girl had left the window.

"So do you think that you'll like it here?" Geneva asked, her big green eyes shinning like emeralds.

"… I think I might." Ed muttered as he stared at the now empty window.

* * *

**(1) So if you didn't realize, this is a flashback. There will be a lot of them later on.**

**hmm...what do you think's going to happen?**

**Please review a lot for me! :)**

**-FSK**


	10. He Wasn't Lying

**Happy Presidents' day everyone! (Yay! No school!)**

**Thank you for the reviews last chapter! They were greatly appreciated!**

**I hope you enjoy this chapter! Oh my God, this is already chapter 10?! I can't believe it, I feel like this story just started. Oh these fics always grow up so fast. *sniff, sniff* :P**

* * *

Fire surrounded him. Everywhere he looked, he saw fire ravaging everything in the room. How was he supposed to get out? He was trapped.

"Ed!"

_Ed looked up but saw no one. Who was calling him? And why did it sound so familiar? Ed looked around again; where was he? Nothing in the ashen room looked familiar to him…and yet…_

"Ed, wake up!"

But I'm not asleep.

"_Where are you Brother?!"_

I'm right here…but where is here?

_Ed looked around again. The room around him was beginning to dissolve. What was going on? Was he dreaming, or was it simply all of the smoke getting to him?_

"…Ed. _Edward._ Wake up!"

Ed's eyes snapped opened after someone began to shake his tired body gently. He turned his head and saw Terry kneeling down next to him. Ed glanced over at his alarm clock: it was almost seven o'clock in the morning. He let out a groan as he realized that it was indeed Monday morning already.

_Dammit…I wanted to relax a little this weekend and I wasn't able to relax at all!_

"Come, on. If you don't wake up now, you're going to be late for school!"

Ed rolled onto his side and covered his head with his pillow. He heard Terry laugh at him and walk away for a moment while muttering something along the lines of 'every freaking Monday'. Ed knew what was coming but he didn't care, he wanted to sleep damn it! And then he heard her voice.

"Oh, Eddy." Sammy whispered in a devious voice.

"Mmmghhgg…" Ed muttered into his mattress as he mentally prepared himself for what was coming next.

And then there was screaming. Loud, terribly annoying, high-pitched, child-like screams that were like nails on a chalk board to Ed's ears. And pillows, tons and tons of pillows. All of the pillows were beating down on his tired body. Ed wanted nothing more that to punch the kids in their small, screaming faces- but that would be what Kimblee would do, and he would rather die in horrible pain than have anything remotely similar to Kimblee.

"Okay! Okay! I'm up!" Ed shouted as he tried to fend off the pillows. "Stop it!"

The three grinning kids stopped their screams and pillow barrage. Ed didn't particularly like this brand of wake-up calls, but whenever Ed would notice how happy it made the kids, he realized he could take it. As the kids let down their weapons, Ed pulled out his pillow and quickly swatted them all on their heads a few times.

"WHAT THE HELL IS GOING ON IN HERE!?" Kimblee shouted as he kicked down the bedroom door.

The three younger kids quickly wiped their happy expressions off of their faces, replacing it with one that could be associated with a funeral home setting, and dropped their pillows like they suddenly burned red-hot. Ed however, kept his pillow up in the air and glared right into Kimblee's uncaring and dark eyes.

"I'M TRYING TO FUCKIN' SLEEP AND I GET WOKEN UP BY A BUNCH OF YELLING AND SCREAMING!"

"S-sorry M-Mister Kimblee…" Sammy stuttered as she stared at the floor.

"YOU BETTER BE! NOW GET THE FUCK DOWNSTAIRS AND MAKE ME SOME BREAKFEST!"

As Sammy hurried passed Kimblee, he sent a kick into her small back, causing her to stumble over her own feet for a few feet before she caught her balance again and ran down the stairs. Ed could tell the kick was what Kimblee considered gentle, but any harm he brought to the kids made his blood boil.

"And you." Kimblee growled while glaring daggers at Ed, who wasn't the least bit intimidated. "Where the fuck were you?! You were gone the whole God-damn weekend!"

"I was out." Ed said as he stood up and moved in front of Terry and Kyle.

"Is that all you can say?! 'I was out'." Kimblee sneered in a mock voice.

Ed bit his tongue so hard that he began to taste blood. He really didn't want to go to school with a black eye or a busted lip and have people worry about him. Kimblee sent a glare at the other two kids that were left before exiting the room.

"Okay," Ed said before either one of them would blame themselves for what had just happened, "It wasn't anyone's fault. Just go and get ready for school."

* * *

"Ed."

Ed looked up from his lunch tray and saw that Winry had sat down next to him without him realizing it.

"Oh uh, Hey Win."

"Are you alright?" Winry asked. "You've been acting…_distant_ all day."

"Um well, I guess I'm alright…in a physical sense."

"Well then you're _not_ alright. What's the matter?"

"Uhh…I can't really explain it or well, I can't _tell_ you here." Ed stuttered as he struggled for words.

"Well then when can we talk about it?" Winry asked while dropping her voice so that no one could over hear.

"Later." was all Ed managed to say before their other friends arrived.

"Friday was _awesome_!" Sheska exclaimed as she sat down next to Winry.

"If by awesome you mean, it sucked, then I'd agree." Riza said as she stat down across from Ed.

"What do you mean it sucked?!" Sheska asked in outrage.

"I mean it sucked by getting hit by beer cans, being tackled and crushed, and then having to play nurse to your drunken ass."

"Well if you must know, I'm sorry about puking, but you shouldn't be such a downer about things Riza! Live a little."

"You ruined my shoes with your vomit."

"Hey, be thankful because those shoes were tacky." Sheska said before she began attacking her wilting salad.

"G.D.I.M. everyone." Jean muttered as he arrived with Roy.

"G.D.I.M.?" Ed asked.

"'God Dammit it's Monday'." Jean answered as he devoured his Sloppy Joe.

"So how was the rest of the weekend for everyone else?" Riza asked.

Ed never heard any of the others responses for he was too deep in thought to hear or even care about anything else. The entire day Ed was busy fighting over should he or shouldn't he and it was driving him absolutely crazy.

* * *

"Ed! Wait up!" Winry called from behind him.

"Uh, hey." Ed said once she had reached him.

"Hey."

Winry stared at him for a moment before she let out a deep breath and decided to bring the subject Ed had tried to shoot don earlier that day.

"So I was wondering if you could tell me what was bothering you now. We could go to my house and talk."

Ed noted the slight pleading that she held in her voice and in her eyes; he had said that he would tell her later, and now he was going to have to stand by his word.

"Fine…" Ed said quietly. "But I can't stay long. Kimblee was really angry that I wasn't home all weekend and I doubt he'd be really happy with me coming home late."

"Well why where you not home all weekend?" Winry asked as they turned around and bean walking towards her home.

"Uh, well why would anyone be in that house for days if they had a choice?" Ed asked quickly.

"Right. But Granny's out of town for business for a few more days so maybe you could stay over-."

"Win I just said that Kimblee was pissed. I'm sorry but I can't."

"…I know."

* * *

Ed sat down on her outdoor couch and breathed in some of the warm summer breeze that floated passed him. There was just a bit more than a week until summer vacation started and Ed knew that once he didn't have school as a reason for not going, he was going to be more and more tempted to go. But at the same time, now was not the time to thinking about other things during class, he needed to put all of this away until after finals were over.

Winry sat down next to him on the couch and handed him a cola, which he greatly accepted.

"So what's been bothering you so much?"

"…It's really hard to explain."

"Well you know that I'm a good listener."

"Yeah, I know."

"So just try to explain it to me. Slowly."

"Well, when I got home from the party Friday, Kimblee kinda said something that I don't think he wanted me to hear. And what he said really got to me."

"What was it?"

"He…he mentioned something about…" Ed muttered vaguely as he subconsciously picked at the rubber of his sneakers.

"Uh huh." Winry said quietly while trying to move Ed along with sounding too forceful.

"He said something about, about me having a, a…"

"Ed? What did he say? Was it something that really bothered you?"

"Yeah."

They sat there in silence for a moment while Ed struggled to find the correct words he should use to tell her. As Ed glanced over at her, he thought of another reason why he loved her: she was always there to listen to his problems and never pushed him too hard to get the answer out. Ed took a deep breath to calm his nerves.

"He said that I have a brother. And I found out that he wasn't lying."

* * *

**Oh no's! What's Winry going to say?! Well you can find out next chapter. (evil grin)**

**Please review a lot! If you do, I'll try to get the next chapter up sooner!**

**-FSK**


	11. Truths and Finals

**AHHHH!!! I'm sorry for not updating in a while! I've just been so busy lately! First I caught a bad cold and was sick for four days and I can't write when I'm sick! And then my Internet wouldn't work! And then my schools' stage crew started getting really busy and I haven't been home before five-thirty all week and, and...I'm just sorry.**

**But, here I am, with a brand spanking new chapter for all of my patient readers! :D**

**I hope you all enjoy this chapter!!!!**

***Warning* I _barely _edited this chapter. I just finished about one minute ago and I wanted to update this as soon as possible, I'm sure you guys aren't complaining.**

* * *

Winry stared into Ed's eyes, not sure of what else to do at the moment. Her mind was spinning slightly but she was soon able to come to grips with the information. Besides, Ed had always talked about this feeling he had when they were younger; a feeling that told him that he still had some sort of blood relation out there.

Ed had a brother. And that was just wonderful for Ed.

"Win?" Ed asked hesitantly.

Winry turned away from him and slowly let out a large breath that she didn't realize she was holding.

"Win?" Ed asked again.

"I'm fine." She said with a smile as she turned to look at him again. "…you have a brother."

"Y-yeah…it's kinda weird isn't it?"

"I guess. Do you…"

"Do I what?"

"Do you like, know where he lives or what he looks like or do you even know his name?"

"I know some things about him." Ed said with a small smile as he reached into his pocket and pulled out a folded piece of paper.

"What is that?"

"It's…it's a page of his file." Ed muttered, knowing that Winy never encouraged breaking and entering whenever it wasn't one hundred percent necessary.

"And how exactly did you get this file?"

"…found it."

Ed cut her off by putting his hand up, knowing the lecture that was sure to come.

"His name's Alphonse."

"Alphonse?"

"Yeah. It also says his birthday; he's a year younger than us."

"Does it say were he lives?" Winry asked excitedly as she leaned over Ed to get a better view of the paper.

"No." Ed said as his finger tapped next to the scribbled _unknown_.

"Oh…"

Winry stayed there. Staring at the sheet of paper, re-reading it several times over until she was sure she could memorize it.

"So what are you gonna do?"

"Huh?" Ed asked, caught off-guard.

"What are you going to do? Are you going to try and find him?"

"Well…I've been debating about that since I found out. I was going to look for him on the computers during study hall today but I couldn't get the chance."

"Well what are you going to do once you've found were he is?"

"I don't know. Go off probably, as long as it's not too far away."

"I thought so. But just remember, Finals are starting tomorrow so don't go running off-."

"FINALS ARE TOMORROW?! WHEN THE HELL DID THE TEACHERS TELL US THAT?!"

Winry stared at her best friend. How could anyone be so blind and distracted as to forget their Finals? The Final schedule had been posted for nearly a month. She let out a small sigh as Ed continued to talk.

"Ed, how could you forget that there were Finals?"

"I've been distracted lately." Ed said defensively. "The other night I doubt I could even tell you what month it was."

Ed let out a loud groan, let his head fall back against the couch, and began rubbing his face with his left hand.

"What Finals are tomorrow?" he asked in a weary tone.

"Uh…First, fourth and sixth period."

Ed let out, if possible, an even louder and more desperate groan as he let his head fall back into its normal position.

"_Winry_…" Ed said in a slightly pleading voice as he stared into her blue eyes.

"Yes?" Winry asked even though she already knew what was coming.

"Would you _please_ help me study?"

"Hmm, why on Earth would _you_ Mister 'I have an I.Q. of 160' ask _me_to help you study?" Winry said in a mocking voice.

"Come on Win, don't make me beg. I just need to go over the material a bit for a refresher."

"Well I guess I could possibly help you." Winry said with a smile as she got up and got her book bag. "Okay, what do you want to study first?"

* * *

Ed peaked into the living room through the dusty window; he wasn't sitting on his ass watching the television, but that didn't automatically mean he wasn't home. After taking a deep breath, Ed opened the front door and tip-toed inside.

Once he deemed the living room Kimblee-free, Ed ran as quietly as possible to the stairs and up to his room.

"Hiya Ed!" Kyle exclaimed when he saw it was Ed at the door.

"Hey Kye." Ed muttered with a tired smile before he dumped his bag onto the floor and sat on his bed, next to Sammy, who greeted him with a tight hug around the waist.

"Where ya been Ed?" Terry asked.

"Was out at Winrys'."

"_Winry_? _Ooooooooh"_ Terry and Kyle said together, earning a pillow to be tossed at the two.

"But what were you doing if you don't mind me asking?" Sammy asked.

"She was helping me study for Finals tomorrow."

"Did you forget again?" Sammy asked in an exasperated tone.

"I didn't _forget_." Ed said as he lay back on his bed. "I just _chose_ to not make a big deal about them. Come on, last year I walked into school and didn't even realize it was Finals until I got to my first period and I still was on the top of the class."

"But that doesn't mean that you shouldn't do that every time!"

"Yeah, yeah…I studied don't worry."

"Alright, I'm just making sure that you don't flunk out."

"Uh huh…so what are we playing?" Ed asked as he stared at the playing cards that were splayed out before each child.

"Tens and Twos." Terry answered with a devious grin. "Wanna play?"

"Oh you know it! Deal me in."

* * *

Ed dragged his feet as he walked away from his school desk. His first exam of the day was over and he had a pounding headache. He had ten minutes to recuperate before his next exam.

"That was brutal." Roy groaned as he caught up to Ed.

"Yeah…I'm glad I went to Winrys' last night."

This bit of information perked Roy up immediately.

"So you were at Winrys' house huh?" Roy asked with an evil smirk.

"Nothing happened." Ed growled as he turned to glare at his friend.

"Uh huh. Sure." Roy said in a skeptical tone.

"We just studied. That's all."

"_Right_. But I'll just let you know that _one day _you and Winry will stop being so damn blind and give in to each other." Roy said with a wide grin as he threw his arm around Eds' shoulder. "And when that day comes-."

"You and every one else in this damn school will stop trying to put us together?"

"Well yeah but I was going to say that when that day comes, I will be there to give you _amazing_ relationship advice."

"Uh, you would want me and Win to stay together right?"

"Yeah."

"Well then I won't be taking any of your crappy advice thank you very much."

"What are you talking about!? I'm the dating extraordinaire Roy Mustang! I have _oodles _of relationship advice and experience! Why wouldn't you want my advice?"

"Because none of your relationships have lasted more than three weeks."

"No! Tiffany was a _total_ month-er!"

"Yeah but you two hated each other by the second week. You only stayed together because you already paid for her dance ticket."

"Yeah well…if you use that sort of logic, most of my girlfriends wouldn't even make it to the two week point!"

"My point exactly. Now if I ever need to find a ridiculous reason to stay in a relation-shit, I'll give you a call."

"Hey! And I'm only going out with all of these girls until Riza realizes that we're _perfect _for each other."

"And you're doing a great job at that." Ed said in a deeply sarcastic voice.

"Hey, she was totally checking me out on Friday. You should have seen her, couldn't keep her eyes off me!"

"You're right on that one but I don't think she was staring at you because she likes you. I think she was _glaring_ at you like she wanted to bit your face off."

"Whatever you say Ed. But just wait, one day me and Riza will be together."

"Yeah…and when that day comes I'll be there to slap you awake because that would obviously only happen in a dream."

"You never know. Maybe Riza's dreaming about it too and is only hiding her love for me behind all of her glares."

"You are such an arrogant fuck." Ed muttered as he shook his head.

"And proud of it!"

* * *

"Ed, are you coming over to my house for lunch?" Winry asked as the two walked down the crowded stairwell.

Their second Final was over and it was now their hour lunch period. Ed had planned on going over one of his friends places for lunch, having no desire at all to go to his own house or sit alone in the near-empty cafeteria, he just wasn't sure which.

"Yeah, sure. Anyone else coming over?"

"Not that I know."

"Alright. Hey can I use your computer while I'm there?"

"Sure, why do you need it?"

"I just need to look up… something really quickly."

Winry understood by 'something' Ed probably mean his brother, but she was too tactful to say it out loud. Instead she nodded with a small smile on her face as the two walked outside and to the parking lot.

* * *

**I always love writing Roy and Ed's conversations. They're just so fun to write. **

**So...I'm sorry if this seemed kinda fillery but I had to leave it here.**

**Please review!!!**

***Announcement* I have a poll on my account that you can check out if you're bored.**


	12. The Search Begins

**Hello everyone!!!! I'm so happy!! Last chapter I got my 100th review!!! I was so excited when I saw the triple digits.**

**Okay, so yesterday I wanted to update but stupid fanfiction wasn't working for me! Oh well, I'm just glad it's working today.**

**Thank you for everyone who reviewed last chapter! Please enjoy this one!**

* * *

"Granny! We're back!" Winry shouted as she opened her front door. Her dog, Den, quickly ran over to the two to great them.

"Hello Winry, hello Edward." They heard Pinako's voice say from a room upstairs.

"You hungry?" Winry asked as she dropped her bag onto the nearby couch.

"What kind of question is that Winry?" Ed asked while kicking off his sneakers.

"Oh right. Why should I have asked the bottomless pit if he was hungry?"

As Winry disappeared into the kitchen, Ed's eyes drifted to the staircase that led to the upper level of the house.

"Hey Win."

"What Ed?"

"Can I go and use your computer?"

"Yeah go right ahead."

"Thanks."

Ed turned and ran up the stairs. As he walked down the hall, Pinako poked her head out into the hallway from one of the rooms and glared at him.

"Do you think you could make anymore noise Ed?"

"Sorry."

Pinako moved back into the room while grumbling something about making a ruckus in her house while she was trying to work. Ed shook his head as he passed the door and went into Winry's room, where she kept her computer.

Ed grabbed the comfy computer chair and sat down on it. The computer was already turned on but not logged on.

"Hmm…If I were Winry…what would my password be?" Ed muttered as he stared around her room for some sort of hint or clue to her password. But her walls were practically bare. The only things that covered her wall were a few blueprints to newer sets of automail and a bulletin board that was covered in pictures of her friends and family tacked up to it.

Having no clue at all, Ed clicked onto the 'forgot your password' button. A bubble popped onto the screen with the words 'What year was The Year?'

"'The Year'? What could that be…?"

Sure, Ed could have just walked down stairs and asked Winry to log him in but that wouldn't have been nearly as fun. He at least wanted to try before he gave up completely.

Plenty of years that had passed had been significant. This year Winry had gotten her drivers license…but this year wasn't over yet. And Winry wasn't the kind of person that would make this year big just because of that.

Ed's eyes drifted back to the board covered in pictures. After closer inspection, Ed noticed that the pictures weren't all recent; some were of several years ago. Ed glanced over his shoulder before he moved closer to it and stared at one picture in particular that caught his attention.

He remembered the exact day they had taken that picture and staring at it made a smile appear on his face. It was of him, Winry, and Roy with the then puppy Den sitting on Winry's lap as it tried to lick Ed's face. The four of them were sitting on the front steps of Winry's old house and the more Ed stared at the old picture, the more he seemed to remember of that day.

_"Come on Ed! We have to take a picture." Winry yelled gleefully as she waved around her old Polaroid camera up in the air._

"_Why do we have to take a picture?" Ed asked grumpily as he rubbed his right shoulder; it was still extremely soar and it still stung a little bit when he moved it too fast. "What's so important about today?"_

"_What's important?! Ed you dolt! It's important because-well, look at you. You have two arms and two legs! You can walk and play around like any other normal kid now! Why shouldn't we take a picture?"_

"_Correction: I have two limbs of flesh and two limbs that are made of steel. What's so normal about me?"_

"_Aww, quite your belly-aching Elric." Roy mumbled as he placed his head on top of his arm that were resting on the handle bars of his bike. "Just hurry up and let her take the picture. We're burning daylight here and I want to go to the park before it gets too dark."_

"_Well go then." Ed said from his spot on the porch. "No one's stoppin' ya'." _

_Roy glared at him for a second before he buried his head into his arms and mumbled something about not wanting to go by himself._

"_Come on Ed. Just _one_ tiny picture and then we can go. I just want to take a picture of it. Ya' known, before you wreck it and get it all dirty like I know you will."_

"_What are you kids doing out here?"_

_Ed turned to see Winry's mother Sara standing in the front doorway. Her long wavy blond hair was pulled back into a clip like always and she was carrying a large cardboard box in her hands._

"_Mom! Ed won't let me take a picture of him!"_

"_Tattle-tale." Ed muttered as he folded his harms across his chest._

"_Now Edward, I think it's a lovely idea to take a picture." Sara said as she set the box down on the porch. _

"_I don't."_

"_Why not?" _

"'_Cause I don't want to."_

"_Ed!" Winry yelled before she was cut off by her mother's raised hand._

"_Edward." She said in a softer tone that Edward knew meant that she only wanted him to hear. "You know that Winry's father and I are leaving tomorrow right?"_

"_Yeah."_

"_Well then you should know that Winry is really upset right?"_

"_Yeah."_

"_Well then why won't you do something that will make her happy?"_

_Ed opened his mouth to speak before his quickly closed it to form a thin line with his lips._

"_Why don't you just let her take the picture and then you and Roy can go and play with her so that she can take her mind off everything?"_

"_Well…shouldn't she be spending time with _you_ since you're leaving?" Ed replied smartly, causing Sara to smile at him._

"_Well she can spend time with us afterwards since right now we have to finish packing. But before that I think you should just make her happy. Alright?"_

"…_fine."_

"_Okay Winry, hand me the camera please." Sara said as she walked down the steps._

_Winry ran to her mother and handed her the camera._

"_I have an idea. Why don't I take a picture of all three of you guys?"_

_Winry grinned greatly at the idea before bounding up the stairs and jumping into place next to Ed. Roy, however, made a face that you would usually associate with when you had to finish a diner that you really didn't like at all or had to kiss your great aunt who had a huge hairy mole. _

"_Come on Roy!" Winry exclaimed._

_Roy made the face again before he dismounted his bike, let it fall to the concrete sidewalk, and walked, or more like stomped, next to Ed on the porch. Sara smiled at the three before she walked back a few stapes and held up the camera into position._

"_Now you have to look _happy_. Sit down next to each other! And Roy, stop making that face."_

_As the three sat down on the stone steps, a small black blur whizzed across the three children's laps._

"_Den!" Winry yelled as she got up and ran after the puppy._

"_Oh _God_ this is going to take _forever_." Roy moaned as he let his head fall back. _

"_Winry stop chasing after that silly pup and get back into the picture!" Sara yelled as Winry came running back towards them._

"_Sorry! But Den was saying that he wanted to be in the picture too!" Winry exclaimed as she walked back with the puppy, who was desperate to get free, secure in her arms. _

"_He was not! Dogs don't talk, they _bark, _duh." Ed added in a condescending tone._

"_Fine! Then he was _barking_ to be in the picture."_

"_That doesn't make any sense!" Ed countered, causing both Roy and Sara to groan loudly. _

"_It so does make sense! You're just too-!"_

"_Winry, Ed, can you two just please sit back down so that we can take the picture and then you can go and play."_

_Ed and Winry stopped their point-less child argument and sat back into place._

"_Ahh! Den! Quit lickin' me!" Ed giggled as the puppy made another move to lick his chin._

"_Ed!" Winry squealed as her puppy continued to squirm. "Quit wiggling and let him lick you face!"_

"_Hey! Ed kicked me!" Roy yelled as he made to block one of Ed's sandals as they flew by Roy's face again. _

"_Okay!" Sara yelled over the three squirming kids. "On the count of three! One…two… three!"_

_CLICK_

_Sara stared at the picture as it came out of the bottom. Once the picture became clear, she let out a loud giggle at the ridiculousness of the picture. _

"_Okay here you go Winry." Sara said as she handed the picture and the camera back to Winry. _

"_Can you hold onto it until I come back?"_

"_Sure."_

_As Sara went back to the box she had abandoned, Winry began to fidget._

"_Come on Win! We took the picture so let's get goin'!"_

"_Um…"_

"_What?!" Roy asked in an irritated tone as he picked up his bike from the ground._

_Winry turned to Ed and tightened her grip on the camera._

"_What?" Ed asked._

"_Could you um…"_

"_What?"_

"_Could you take a picture of me and my mom?" Winry said in a voice that was almost a whisper._

"_Fine." Ed said as he snatched the camera from Winry's hands. "Hey! Auntie! Win wants a picture with you!"_

"_Ed!" Winry scolded._

"_What?! You told me you wanted a picture."_

"_Yeah but you don't have to _scream_ it so loud that the whole neighbor hood can here it."_

_But it didn't matter how loud Ed said it because Sara walked over to Edward and Winry and smiled down at them._

"_Where would you like to take the picture Winry?" she asked kindly._

"_Uh…right here's fine."_

_Ed moved back a few steps as Sara crouched down so that Winry would be a little taller than her before she wrapped an arm around her waste and smiled._

"_Okay! Say cheese!" Ed said as he looked through the camera._

"_Cheese!" Sara and Winry shouted happily._

Ed put the picture back into its spot before he noticed the other picture that was tacked right next to it. It was the picture he had taken that same day. Ed noticed sadly that there appeared to be a few small water marks on the picture that could only be from tears. He then turned over the picture and read the date that was scribbled on to it.

"_May, 12 2005._"

2005 _was _an important year. He had gained mobility with his automail, Winry's parent's had left and died that year, and Winry had also learned about Kimblee's true nature. The year might not have been a very happy one, but it was important.

Ed walked back to the computer and typed in the correct password.

"Hey Ed!" Winry called as she walked down the hall. "Do you need my password to get in?"

"No, I figured it out."

"How did you…?" Winry began as she entered the room.

"Who do you think you're talking to Win?" Ed asked with a large grin.

"Right. Well, I brought you something to eat." She said as she sat down on her bedroom floor.

"Thanks!"

Ed reached down and grabbed his sandwich from off of the tray along with a can of cola.

"So how are you going to find him?" Winry asked as she munched on a handful of chips.

"I don't know. Type in his name and try to filter it all out."

"But what if he doesn't even go by your last name? I mean, did the sheet say Alphonse Elric of something else?"

"Well the sheet said Elric on it."

"Yeah but what if he doesn't go by that anymore?"

"Um…well we'll worry about that later. I mean, what if he _does_go by Elric? Why waste time worrying about something that we might not have had to worry about in the first place?"

"Alright."

Ed moved the cursor into the search bar, typed in 'Alphonse Elric', and then hit search.

* * *

**So when I was re-reading the whole flashback, I was listening to the second ending song for FMA: Brotherhood and I don't know why but when I read the part with Winry and her Mom, I was seriously about to cry. I don't know why...but if you've heard that ending song, try and listen to it as you read that part and tell me if you felt the same or if I'm just crazy.**

**Well, thanks for reading and please leave me a review!**

**Next Chapter: While Ed find out where Al is? You'll only find out if you review a lot! :)**

**-FSK**


	13. Answers

**Hello readers!!! Thank you for all of the reviews last chapter!! Yay 13! New record!**

**Hehe, but anywho, instead of me working on a History paper, here's the next chapter and I hope all of you guys enjoy it!**

* * *

His heart was pumping faster and faster as he stared at the little green bar that sat at the bottom of the web page. Why did it feel like this was taking forever? Every second he had to wait felt like another hour as he waited for that stupid little green bar to finish and go to the next page.

And then it did.

Ed's eyes scanned the page. His name was highlighted a few times over the page and every time Ed read those two words, his stomach tightened more and more. Winry was completely silent next to him. Finally deciding on one link, Ed clicked.

It was a part of a news article from some school called James Rickards High School. Ed scanned the page and read over every last word. After a minute or two, Ed realized that the news article on who had made Honor Roll and Merit Roll in that school for a certain quarter.

_**Alphonse Elric**_

_He made Honor Roll every single quarter…_Ed thought, a bit of pride for his unknown younger brother rose in his chest.

After Ed had finished reading over the page, he glanced over to look at Winry, who had just finished the page too.

"How do you think we could find him from this?" Ed asked as he took another bite from his sandwich, even though he wasn't remotely hungry anymore.

"Well…look at the URL. If we cut it and enter it, maybe it will take us to like, the school website and find out where exactly this school is."(1)

"But then how are we supposed to find out where he lives? We can't just stand in front of his school and ask people if they've seen him! They'd think we were crazy!"

"And what makes you think that I'd even go with you if you found him?" Winry asked while giving Ed a small joking smile. "Besides, I think you're getting a little ahead of yourself here. We can figure that out afterwards. First we have to at least get an idea as to where he lives."

"Right."

Ed did as Winry suggested and cut and paced the URL and hit enter. Again, Ed felt the horrible rising of anticipation and nerves in the pit of his stomach as he waited for the page to load again.

"James Rickards High School." Ed read aloud as the page popped up.

The web page was colored in its school colors of blue and gold along with its school emblem. (A shield with two swords crossing in front of a large gold 'R' with the words, 'The Raiders' beneath it.)

"Do you see an address anywhere?" Winry asked as her eyes searched the page.

"Yeah!" Ed exclaimed as he pointed up into the corner of the web page, excitement quickly flooding into his chest. "It's up in the corner here. Look it says…it says…"

The excitement in his chest then escaped as quickly as it had come once he had read the street address of the school.

_Tallahassee…Tallahassee, FLORIDA. Florida!_

"Oh." Winry said quietly before sitting back on the floor once she too had read it.

Florida. He lived in freaking _Florida!_ Ed let out a loud breath of air as he ran his hands through his hair while he tried to grasp the situation. Florida was what…_twenty _hours away by car? Maybe eighteen if you all out floored it and didn't stop at all…which was insane.

"How the hell am I supposed to get down to Florida?" Ed asked aloud as he let his head tip back, something he did when ever he got frustrated or was annoyed.

Winry kept quiet, knowing that it was a rhetorical question. The two sat there for some time. Both not sure as to what they should say or even do to help one another. Finally, Ed spoke.

"Well he could be farther. Like in Hawaii or something."

"And look at the bright side, Roy's always been whining about going on a road trip somewhere nicer. Now we could kill two birds with one stone."

"Heh, right."

"Oh, Ed." Winry said while pointing towards the clock. "We have to be back to school in fifteen minutes!"

"Crap." Ed exclaimed as he quickly scribbled down the school address onto a piece of scrap paper before exiting out of the window, logged of the computer, and got up from his chair.

Winry got up from the floor and walked out of the room, Ed following in her foot steps.

"Bye Granny!" Winry yelled a she ran down the steps.

* * *

Edward couldn't focus at all during his last exam of the day. He was too busy thinking about what would happen if he actually _did_ go down to Florida and try and find him.

_Would he even know who I was? Or would he not have a clue._

_What would he do I if I just went up to him after school and said 'hey, I'm your brother'? Would I even able to do that? Or would I be too nervous to even speak to him?_

_What if I managed to find him, but then he doesn't want anything to do with me? What if he wouldn't believe me? What if he thought I was lying, just like I thought Kimblee was to me? _

_What if he believes me, but we don't get along at all? What if we hate each other?_

_But what if…what if he _does_ know me? What if he _does_ believe me? What if he actually _wants_ to get to know me? What if we actually wants to come back with us and hang out with me for the rest of the summer?_

_What if he decides to move here and live with me?_

Ed bit the inside of his mouth so that the smile that was starting to form on his face wouldn't be shown to any of his fellow classmates. After shaking his head so he could rid his head of all the jumbled thoughts, Ed picked up his pencil again and attempted to finish his exam.

* * *

"When are you going to tell them?" Winry asked at she stretched and laid down on the cool grass.

Their last exam had ended almost an hour ago, after which, they were released early(2). Instead of going home to his empty home, Ed agreed to join Winry for an ice cream and another study session for the next day's exam. They were now lying in an open field at the local park under the shade of a large oak tree.

"When am I going to tell who what?" Ed asked as he licked his chocolate ice cream cone.

"You know who I'm talking about. When are you going to tell the guys about you having a brother? I know you didn't tell Roy or Havoc even when they still agreed to take you to that place."

Ed remained silent as he pretended to be reading his text book.

"Come on. They _have _to know."

"And I'm not saying that they don't. In fact, I'm not saying anything. Right now, I'm focused on World War II" Ed said as he lifted up his text book and shook it before Winry took it and set it down far out of his reach.

"Like you really need to study for that test Mister Genius. Now quit avoiding the subject."

"Winry, do really have to talk about his _right now_? I mean, can't we wait until finals are over and I can think freely?" Ed snapped as he pulled back his book by its stretchy cover.

"Sorry. I just…" Winry trailed off as he twisted her fingers around a long blade of grass.

"It's alright Win." Ed said with a small smile. "I understand. Now it's not like I'm trying to forget all about this or pretend I don't care at all, because I do care and I really want to find him. Just not right now. I need a break from all of this so that I can take it all in."

"Of course." Winry said before she picked up her own book and began to re-read the section she had left off on. "You know Ed, I'm really surprise."

"'Bout what?"

"About how well you're taking this. I though for sure that the second you had any clue as to where he was, you would go running off to try and find him."

"Well if he wasn't so damn far away from here, trust me, I probably would." Ed said with a large grin on his face.

* * *

Winry dropped him off at his house a few hours later. Ed noticed, to his extreme relief, that Kimblee's car was not in the drive way. Ed went inside and up to his room. He heard the other three's voices coming from Sammy and Kyle's room but didn't go and say hi. He was tired and his head was spinning once again from an overload of knowledge.

Ed sat down on his bed and pulled out the piece of paper from its hiding place under his bed sheet. He then pulled out a pen and scribbled down the newest information he had learned today:

James Rickards High School

3013, Jim Lee Rd. Tallahassee, Florida

Ed then re-stashed the paper in its hiding place before getting up and walking across the hallway to the other bedroom.

"Hey guys!" Ed exclaimed as he poked his head into the room.

* * *

Ed rolled over again as he tried to get back to sleep but found it impossible. He had been slipping in and out of sleep the entire night and as it was nearing three-thirty in the morning, it was really starting to piss Ed off.

_He was sitting in an open field-_

No, he was in bed. Still awake.

_Warm air drifted over him as he laid back down into the extremely soft grass. Someone was calling his name from behind him. He turned to see who it was-_

Ed let out a small groan as one of Terry's loud snores forced him a bit more awake.

_It was that boy. The same one from the other dream. He was saying something but he couldn't quite hear it, even though Ed could tell that he was talking in a very loud and excited voice._

Ed let out a loud yawn before rolling over on to his other side and let his eye lids fall shut once more before he finally dosed off to sleep…

_"Ed! Ed, Dad sent us another letter!" he exclaimed as he waved about a piece of paper that was half out of its envelope._

_Ed quickly jumped up from the ground and stood next to the boy._

"_What does it say? Did you read it yet? Where did he say that he was?" Ed asked quickly as excitement grew in his stomach._

"_He's in Florida!"_

"_Florida?! All the way down there? I wonder how warm it is down there. I heard it was over 100 degrees the other day."_

"_Uh huh. He says it's _really, really _hot out everyday!"_

"_Yeah but I bet it's fun! There's a huge beach right there and an ocean! An ocean Al!" Ed yelled in excitement before he tugged the letter from Al's tiny hand and began to read it._

"_What's it say? What's it say?" Al asked as he stood on his tiptoes so he could read over his brother's shoulder._

"_Geez, if you wanted to read this so badly, you should have read it before you gave it to me!" _

"_But Mom told me we should read it together since it's addressed just to the two of is!" Al said indignantly as he tugged the paper out of Ed's hand._

"_OW! Al you idiot you gave me a paper cut!" Ed yelled before aiming a kick at his brother's shins._

"_Hey! Mom says not to kick!"_

Ed rolled over onto his back and continued to dream about a summer day that took place years and years ago but when he would wake hours later, he would find that he couldn't remember any of it.

* * *

**(1) Um, I got that idea from me being bored and typing in my own name into google. I know that there are probably tons and tons of flaws in that plan but hey, let's see you come up with a better, reasonable idea. (And yes, that is an actual school in Tallahassee, I did all of my research and everything.)**

**(2) That' how exams work at my school. You have two or three a day and once you're done with your last exam, you get to go home at like, 1:30.**

**I liked writing this chapter, probably because it took me about an hour and a half to write it.**

**Please leave me a review! I love to see a flooded inbox!**

**-FSK**


	14. Confusion During the Storm

**Hello everyone! Thank you to everyone who left me a reviiew last chapter! They always make me super happy, but sorry for the wait, I've just been super busy with stupid school.**

**I hope you really like this one! And for the super EdWin fans (which is pretty much everyone who reads this :P) I know you'll love this chapter.**

**And Netrew, don't worry about it. Just get a profile whenever you can. :)**

* * *

Ed slowly pulled himself from off of his mattress and instantly noticed something out of place. As it was the end of May, every morning, bright and almost blinding sunlight shined through his bedroom window. However, this morning, there was no light coming in except for the yellow light coming from one of the lamp posts outside the house.

Another thing that didn't sit well with Ed was the fact that he didn't feel anywhere near well rested, well he never did since he seemed to need much more sleep than the average human (1)but still. Ed reached his hand out blindly onto the floor in an attempt to figure out what time it was.

_CRACK_!

A large bolt of lightning illuminated much of the darkened room following soon after by a roar of thunder that shook the house slightly. Ed threw the covers off of him and walked towards the window.

"Just perfect…" Ed muttered to himself. "Just what I needed. A freaking storm."

'Storm' seemed to be a bit of an understatement for the torrential downpour outside that had almost reached biblical proportions. Sheets of rain were falling down from the grim, murderous-looking black storm clouds while loud claps of thunder followed after deadly-looking bolts of lightning that lit up parts of the bleak sky.

Ed looked at his cell phone, which had been hanging limp in his hands as he studied the terrifying weather outside, and flipped it open so that the time would become illuminated.

5:35 A.M.

Ed let out a small groan once his tired brain was able to comprehend the time. It appeared that the violent storm outside had woken him up.

_Wonder if it woke any of the others up…_

After poking at Terry, and earning a grunt before he returned back to his heavy breathing, Ed opened up his bedroom door and walked down the hall to check on Kyle and Sammy. Ed was surprised that Kyle wasn't already at his bedside asking Ed if he could stay the night in his room once he saw how horrid it looked outside; Kyle always got shaken up whenever there was a huge storm outside like tonight.

But when Ed entered Sammy and Kyle's room, Ed found them both deep asleep and blissfully unaware of what was going on outside. Ed stayed in the younger two's room for another moment, enjoying the fact that they both seemed to be sleeping peacefully without the slightest hint of nightmares, before he closed the door, crept across the hall, and went back into his bed.

After much tossing and turning and attempting to block out the loud booms of thunder, Ed conceded defeat on trying to get back to sleep and sat back up against his bedroom wall so he could think.

"…_When are you going to tell them?…_ _They have to know…"_

Ed ran his fingers through his loose, long locks as he let out a small sigh of annoyance. Winry was right; he did have to tell his friends about Al. It wasn't like they weren't going to just not notice if him and Winry disappeared for a week or two without telling anyone. No, Ed was sure as Hell his friends would notice if _they _left.

"They'd probably think we ran away to Vegas to get hitched or something stupid like that." Ed mused with a small smile.

Once he had said this, a small picture of Winry standing in a fancy white dress and veil in the middle of a grassy plain popped into his head, causing Ed to blush furiously. He then had to shake his head like a dog trying to get water out of its ears so he could rid himself of that mental picture.

No, Ed could not even begin to think about his love life or lack of it when he was in the middle of this family crisis.

"How should I tell them?" Ed whispered to himself.

Scenario after scenario ran through his head where Ed would possibly tell his closest friends that he had a secret brother but none of them seemed plausible at all.

_Maybe I should just get it over with it and tell them point blank. No pussy-footing around the matter. Just spit it out._

Ed tilted his head back slightly, causing the back of his head to bump against the cold, hard wall.

"Ugh…I can't think when I'm this tired."

Ed let his body fall onto his side on top of his blankets. After laying in a near fetal position for almost five minutes, Ed reached out for his phone again. After checking the time again (6:07 A.M.), Ed went to his phone book and let his finger hover over the call button once it had reached Winry's name.

Should he call her? Maybe, but not now. He'd call her once Ed was sure that she was awake and perhaps, if the weather persisted, ask her for a much needed ride to school. But until then, Ed would continue lying on his bed, extremely busy with his own thoughts.

* * *

"Thanks Win!" Ed yelled over the roaring wind as he gratefully crawled inside of her truck.

"No problem." Winry said as she adjusted the windshield wipers to their fasted setting before she started driving down the street.

"Hey." Ed said after a few minutes where the only noise was the low buzzing of the radio, the squeaking of the wipers, and the pounding of the rain on the windows.

"What?"

"I think…I think I'm gonna tell the guys today."

"Really?" Winry asked while turning towards him.

"Yeah. Why not. I mean I do have to tell them eventually. Why not just tell them now so we don't have to keep talking around them."

"True, I can tell that they know we're hiding something from them."

"Yeah, they probably think were secretly dating or something." Ed said, not thinking, with a smile before he realized what he had just said.

The comfortable silence that had once filled the car was now replaced with a thick awkward silence. Ed searched his mind quickly for a new topic to change to before the silence became too unbearable.

"Yeah…I bet that's what they think. Ha." Winry said softly, finishing the sentence that sounded a lot hollower than it should have been. "I bet they spend most of their time giggling and over analyzing every little thing we do."

"Heh, yeah. I bet." Ed said quietly while he continued to search his blank mind for something new to say. Why did Winry have to continue talking about his? Was she going to continue until Ed made some kind of move or what?

"I'd like to see their expression if they found out that there wasn't anything _remotely_ like that going on between us."

"Remotely?" Ed asked, turning to look at her.

Why was this bothering him so much? Well of course he understood why he was bothered by all of this uncomfortable non-relationship talk but why was he so unbelievable bothered and annoyed by Winry's tone. It sounded as if she thought that he didn't care about her in the slightest. Didn't they already have this conversation? Didn't Ed already explain in this very car why he could be her boyfriend right now?

But then again…didn't she also explain how they _could _be together? Didn't she say to think about what she had said? It had only been five days ago but it felt like a lifetime away now.

"Y-Yes. You made it quite clear that you didn't want to be together-."

"'I didn't _want _to'?" Ed asked angrily. "Where the Hell did you get that from? 'Cuz I hope you realize that if could be together with you, I would."

"Well you have an odd way of showing it." Winry growled as she parked in the nearest place she could find by the front doors.

With anger bubbling up in his stomach and a completely blank mind, Ed unbuckled his seat belt faster than humanly possible, crossed the space that remained between him and Winry, gripped onto her shoulder, and kissed her.

It wasn't as romantic as last time and it certainly wasn't as gentle, considering that Ed was gripping onto Winry's shoulder tightly with his automail and he had put a bit too much force into the kiss, causing his lips to hurt after a moment of two but he didn't break it, not yet. Not when there was still uncertainty in Winry's mind over how he really felt for her. After another moment or two, Ed let go and moved back to his seat.

Ed turned to face Winry, whose face was now fire red and her eyes open wide in a mixture of disbelief and pure shock.

"Don't say that. Don't say that I don't want to be with you. Never…" Ed said as he felt his heart rate increase along with the extreme heat that was rushing up to his face.

Without another glance towards the flushed teen, Ed grabbed his book bag from the back seat and jumped out of the car and into the pouring rain.

* * *

Ed tried to ignore Winry for the rest of the day. He found it particularly hard to do that when she sat down next to him in their first exam of the day. They didn't say anything or even look at each other, Ed even went as far as to try and not brush her at all. Unfortunately, every now and again, when one of them was adjusting a paper or had dropped a pencil, one of the two would bump, causing both of their faces to ignite and send alarm bells to all of their friends who were sitting ten feet away from them.

Once the bell rang, signaling the end of the exam, Winry bolted out of the room before anyone had even gotten up from their chairs. As Ed passed by Roy and Maes, he purposely ignored their inquiring stares and speed out of the room.

Once they had finished their second exam, Ed was saved the embarrassment of eating alone with Winry along with the uncomfortable idea of staying at school to eat when Roy texted everyone and told them they were going to be having a party in one of the deserted classroom on the third floor, something they did every now and again.

As Ed walked up to the room, he realized that now, when everyone was together and there was a less likely chance of anyone overhearing anything, would be the time to tell everyone else what was up.

"Hey Ed!" Jean exclaimed from his spot on the teacher's desk.

"Hey." Ed responded quietly.

After a quick head count, his stomach doing something resembling a back flip when his eyes passed over Winry, Ed reasoned that he was the last one to arrive and shut the door behind him.

"So what do we have to eat?" Riza asked, sitting on an old school desk that was covered in graffiti that was easily older than any of them.

Roy held up several bags off potato chips up before he motioned to two twelve packs of soda that were sitting on another decrepit desk. Riza let out a small sigh while muttering something along the lines of it not being real food, but accepted a can of soda and some chips all the same.

The group talked and laughed for a good portion of their lunch period. Ed tried to act as if nothing was bothering him and that he had nothing of real importance on his mind, but it must have shown somewhere because half way through their time, Roy pulled him out into the hall.

"So what's up?" Roy asked with his arms folded across his chest with his dark eyes staring sharply at Ed.

"Huh?"

"Okay let's not beat around the bush. I know something's been bothering for a while now and today, neither you nor Winry can look at each other without blushing like a couple of teenagers."

Ed stopped himself from saying to Roy 'well we are teenagers dip-shit' and merely let out a small sigh and turned his focus onto his muddy sneakers and the tiles on the floor.

"Ed," Roy said in a much calmer and mature voice, "if it's something serious, you know you can trust me. I can keep a secret."

"…I know."

"So what's up?"

Ed looked up at him for a moment before he turned and marched back into the room, leaving a confused Roy behind him. Everyone stared at Ed as he went back into the room. Ed took a deep breath before he began to talk.

"So I know that I've been acting kinda weird lately." Ed began.

Out of the corner of his eye, Ed could see Jean open his mouth, probably to say something stupid as usual, but before he could say it, Roy punched him lightly in the side of the head, telling him point blank to shut the Hell up.

"But I do have an excuse for why I've been behaving so weirdly and I know it was wrong to keep this from you for so long but…"

Ed's eye's flicked in Winry's direction and saw, to his amazement and pleasure, that she was looking right at him with a small, encouraging smile on her face. Ed took another deep breath and continued on.

"But Jean, Roy, you guys know how I asked you to take me to the place where my record was and everything? Well, in my file was this extra piece of paper and it said that…"

_Spit it out!_

"It said that I have a younger brother. His name is Al."

* * *

**(1) That's what I say about myself**

**But I hope you loved this chapter even though I know that cliff hanger must be pissing you guys off right now. :P But I'll try and get the next capter posted as soon as possible!**

**Announcement: I have a new poll on my profile and I'd like it if you guys check it out and if you don't have a profile, you can always say your answer in your review!**

**-FSK**


	15. Blood Relations

**Hi everyone! Here's the next chapter of Brotherhood for you! Thank you for everyone who left me a review last chapter. Sorry if the grammar kinda sucks,(I didn't edit this chapter like, at all.) I'm really tired and I just finished this chapter and I wanted to update it as soon as I could.**

**Please enjoy! :)**

* * *

The only noise that could be heard in the small class room was the pounding of the heavy sheets of rain on the outside of the building. Ed held let his head fall slightly so that his long blond bangs would cover up most of his face. After some time had passed by, Ed dared to sneak a glance at his friends through his curtain of hair.

None of them appeared to have moved an inch; almost as if his words had frozen time itself. All except for, of course, Winry. She still continued to sit on top of the same desk as before but looked around at the others and tried to gain their eye but to no avail. Every eye was frozen in shock, directed at Edward, who was beginning to feel more and more awkward as time went on.

Finally, after he chased away the temptation to comically lap Sheska's gaping mouth shut, Edward spoke. But his voice sounded weird when he finally did, as if another, less certain and confident person was speaking for him.

"So, uh, yeah…" Ed muttered while he tried to search for the right words to say. "That's, um…right." Ed shoved his hands into his pockets before he stared longingly at the door that led to the hallway. "So I'm gonna go…"

Ed spun on his heal and made a bee-line for the door. Once out in the quiet and tensionless hall, Ed began to relax. He leaned against the wall and let himself slowly slid down until he was sitting down.

_Well that was pleasant._

After bringing his legs to his chest and wrapping his arms around his knees, Ed let his head tilt back against the wall and closed his eyes.

_Well how were you expecting it to go idiot?_ Ed asked himself.

"Not like this." Ed muttered to himself while he thought of the perfect scenario he would have had played out if he could chose.

He would have walked into the room, said what he said before, without the nerves of course, and then be done with it. They would quickly get over their astonishment and after a few questions were asked, they would all go back to normal. No big deal. Of course, Ed would then make a little clarification for those who weren't there when he had first found out about it all, but all in all, no biggie.

But then again, things never seem to happen as Ed wants them to, so why would he even try to pretend it would be fine?

Ed could begin to hear hurried whispers from inside the room. They had finally woken form their stupor and began to talk. After a quick debate in his mind, Ed got up from his seat on the floor and started to walk down the silent hallway, too lost in his thoughts to even realize where he was going.

* * *

"So…" Roy muttered as he rubbed the back of his head.

_A brother…Ed has a brother…_

The more and Roy thought about this new fact, it began to make more and more sense. When he had first met Ed, even with him being a cripple and alone, he still contained large quantities of brotherly love and protectiveness…if not _over_ protectiveness. It made sense that Ed would have someone who he a lot about in his other life. So why, after ears of thinking and wondering if he had someone out there, now that they all knew the truth, why did it feel so…so _weird_?

Was this feeling merely a form of shock? Or was it more? Roy wasn't sure and he didn't feel like trying to figure out what was causing it right now. Not with this extreme awkward silence that was filling the room.

"So." Roy repeated when no one said anything. "Think we should go find Ed? Exams are starting up again in twenty minutes."

"So is that all we're going to do?" Sheska asked. "Make sure he doesn't miss the next exam? You don't want to ask him why the Hell he kept this from us?"

"No. At least, not right now." Roy said.

"But-."

"Roy's right." Riza said as she got up from here own seat and began moving towards the door. "We should just drop this for now until we get out of school."

Roy turned to star at Riza while giving her such a radiant smile that it appeared as if he was about to kiss her for saying _he _was _right_. Riza gave him an exasperated look before she opened the door and walked into the hall.

"So are you guys coming or what?"

* * *

Ed's feet seemed to be carrying his body throughout the deserted school grounds. He had no idea as to what time it was and why he was even outside now but instead of arguing with himself, Ed let myself slump against closest tree and drift back into his deep and unbreakable thoughts…

_"Hello Edward!" said an unnecessarily loud and overly cheerful voice from behind him._

_Ed didn't turn his head to look at who had come into the room. He didn't really care at all about who had come in and started yelling and talking so unbelievably, so obnoxiously loud._

_A young lady, no older than twenty appeared before him with hair so vividly red, Ed thought he might need sun glasses just to stare at her. She wore a big and proud smile on her face that was already beginning to piss him off. Ed had an inkling as to who this strange and annoying lady might be, but he just hoped that he was wrong._

"_Hello Edward! My name is Geneva and I am going to be you're new Psychiatrist-"_

Crap._ Ed thought to himself._

"_-and you're counselor-"_

Double crap.

"_-and you're personal nurse once you are discharged."_

Freaking triple crap sandwich! _Ed screamed inside of his head._

"_So we better get along now!"_

_Ed kept his mouth shut firmly. He didn't have much to say to this…woman. All he wanted to know was where and when he was going to be shipped off to some other home full of lonely children. It wasn't as if he was really excited about the prospect of most likely sharing a room with a bunch of snot-nosed brats who would probably gape and gawk at him and asked stupid questions that dissevered beatings, because he wasn't, not one bit. Ed just wanted to know when the Hell he could start trying to get his lost life back into order. _

"_So Edward-."_

Why does she have to keep calling me that?

"_I'm very pleased to say that we have found you a lovely home to move into."_

_She paused, probably expecting some gushing emotion from him, but when Ed said nothing to this, she readjusted he overly white smile and continued._

"_You'll be moving in about a week. It's not too far from here to I should be able to make weekly visits to you. Now, do you have any questions for me? Any at all. I'll be happy to answer."_

_The two sat in their chairs for some time, neither of them spoke. Geneva continued to hold her bright and perky smile while Ed stared at his lap, where his one remaining hand remained. But as he sat there, a question did come to his attention. _

_It was a question that had bothered him since the second he had woken up in that damned hospital room without a clue as to where he was or even who he was. The only problem was, Ed didn't seem sure if he would be able to ask it. This was where his damn pride got in the way, but if he wanted to know, he had to man up and spit it out already._

"_Um."_

"_Yes?" she sounded much too excited for his liking, but Ed realized it was just one of the things he was going to have to get used to. _

"_I was wondering…do I have…"_

This is stupid, _he thought,_ just forget it. I'm sure they would have said something if they had known. Why wouldn't they? Don't ask!

"_Uh, do I have any…well, family?"_

_Ed quickly felt heat travel to his face as he said the 'F' word to the dye-job nurse. He knew he shouldn't have asked. It made him feel disgusting when he noticed the pitying expression she was giving him. What really annoyed him was that it just looked so…so damn rehearsed and apathetic. She didn't really care about him, so why should he have to make an effort with her?_

"_Oh sweetie…I'm sorry but we haven't been able to find any relatives. We've checked every place anywhere near our jurisdiction and there was no mention of a single Elric in the area."_

_Ed wanted to fight with her. He wanted to say that maybe, if he had any siblings to speak of, they had been moved to another hospital or something outside of the jurisdiction. He wanted to say that she was an idiot if all she did was look into local accounts. He wanted to say that maybe he had extended family somewhere far away and they at least could maybe tell him a little about himself if nothing else. Ed wanted to, but he didn't. Instead, he looked back at his hands and nodded._

"_Well, now that this is over, I'll help you to your room. You look exhausted. Are you tired?"_

_Ed gave a small shrug of the shoulders in answer._

"_I'm sure you are. Physical therapy can be a toughie."_

_Ed allowed the women to talk to herself as she wheeled him down the long white hallway to his room, feeling worse than he did before he had met her. Now that he had asked that stupid question, that one little question that gave him a little thing to hope and hold onto, he felt more alone than ever before…_

* * *

"Ed…?" said a voice over him.

Ed let out a small noise of displeasure before he curled up tighter into a ball on the cool, soft grass.

"_Ed_."

"mnghh…"

_SLAP_!

Ed's eyes flew open as a soft hand made contact with the side of his face. Ed looked up to see Riza standing over him, her hand still raised slightly. Ed quickly rubbed his eyes with the palm of his hand before he looked up again.

Standing over him were all of his friends who had just been left in a state of shock. But now they all looked focused and were all smiling slightly.

"Uh, hey guys."

"Hey." Jean said to Ed.

"What are you guys doing out here?"

_More importantly, what the Hell am _I_ doing out here?_

"Well first of all we came out here to find you because exams are starting up again in about ten minutes." Sheska said.

"But more importantly we wanted to say that we're happy you've found out that you have some sort of blood relation out there." Maes said while holding out his hand to help Ed up from the grass as he wore a large grin.

"Thanks…" Ed said, suddenly feeling very embarrassed with all of this.

"So where does he live?"

"How old is he?"

"Does he know about you too?"

"How far away does he live?"

"When can we go and see him?"

Once the barrage of questions had ended, Ed looked hopefully to Winry for a little help with the situation. She gave him a small smile before she nodded to him and spoke up.

"Alright, alright everyone! Let the kid breath. We can discuss this all _later_. First we have to go and finish our exams."

Everyone made a noise of agreement before they turned and began walking towards the school, while Ed tried his best to answer the simple questions that he knew the answers to.

* * *

**Happy ending :)**

**So I hope you liked this chapter! It was a little difficult to write just because I wasn't sure how I should have his friends react and what would happen afterwards.**

***Announcement* I have a goofy little one-shot that I recently put up. I would really appreciate it if you guys could check it out and leave me a review. Long story short, it involves Havoc, booze, and ridiculousness.**

**-FSK**


	16. Seven Days

**Hello everyone!**

**So, sorry for the wait! Please enjoy this next chapter of Brotherhood, it's a bit longer than the others have been. In fact, I think it's the longest Brotherhood chapter I've ever written! (3,000 words!)**

**Oh, and I didn't get a chance to really edit this.**

* * *

"So how long does it take to get to Talla-whatse?" Sheska asked while she munched on her handful of potato chips.

"It's Talla-_hassee._" Riza corrected.

"It takes about sixteen hours to get there by the direction Google Maps gives." Winry said from her computer chair.

"And that's without rest, food, and gas stops." Ed muttered in a slightly angry tone.

"Not if we _Paper Towns_(1) it." Maes said, causing most of the people in the room to stare at him.

"_Paper Towns_?"

"What's that?"

"It's a book by this guy John Green (2)." Maes said with a small sigh. "In the book they have to get from Orlando, Florida to New York in like twenty-four hours. And they actually make it in the time window so we could do it too if we really wanted to."

"Why would they be in such a hurry to get to New York?" Jean asked.

"I'm not going to explain the entire book to you! Just go and read it yourself. (3)"

"Mngg…I think I'll wait for the movie." Jean said, causing Maes to let out an annoyed noise.

It was Thursday night. Today was their last day of exams at school, leaving the friends almost entirely free to do as they pleased until school finally ended for the summer, something that irked Ed to no end. The teens now sat in Winry's room, discussing how and when they would get down to Florida. With Winry's grandma out of town for the weekend, everyone in the group happily agreed to stay there and skip school tomorrow (except for Riza who had to be convinced for almost three hours to do it) so that they discuss the problem fully.

"Does it really take _sixteen hours _to get there?" Ed groaned from his place on floor. "Isn't there a faster route there?"

"Ed, I've been looking at different routes for almost an hour! This is the fastest route that I can find takes sixteen hours and unless you can find the hundreds of dollars it takes to fly there, you'll just have to deal with it."

"Let's not worry about which way we're going to get there for right now," Roy said, breaking up the fight that was soon to come. "Let's think about _how _we're going to get there. Whose care are we going to take?"

Everyone exchanged glances but no one spoke up or offered to take their car.

"We can't take my car." Winry said, breaking the silence. "It really only fits two."

"My Jeep holds four, five if we squeeze in there." Roy said.

"Maybe we should take two cars." Ed reasoned.

"Well unless we get hold of a seven passenger car, we're going to have to."

"Anyone got a minivan we can steel?" Jean asked with a small grin.

"Wait!" Winry exclaimed, standing up fro her chair. "I think I know were to find one! Ugh, why didn't I think of this before?"

"What's she rambling about?" Roy asked Ed, who shrugged.

"Come on! I know a place were we can probably find a van to use."

Everyone looked at each other for a moment once Winry rushed out of her room. They only moved from their places when Winry reappeared at the door, telling them to get off their asses and move.

* * *

"So where are we going?" Ed asked as he stared out the car window.

Ed didn't know this area as well, manly because it's rumored to be home to several violent gangs, and with the sun going down, Edward couldn't recognize anything at all.

"To my friend Paninya's (4). Or at least to where she hangs out."

"And your friend is in a gang?" Ed asked as he stared down a darkened alley way that screamed Gang Trap.

"_No_. She's a fellow mechanic." Winry said happily.

"So when we get there I should expect rude comments and a wench in the face?"

"Only if you piss her off."

"Well if she's anything like you that won't be too hard." Ed muttered.

Winry turned down a series of shady alley ways that made Ed more and more nervous. Finally, Winry pulled into a parking lot, turned off the car, and got out.

"Aren't you coming?" Winry asked to Ed with a small smile on her face.

"Are you _sure_ this place is safe?"

"Yes. No come on you big baby."

As Ed was getting out of his car, Roy's Jeep pulled up next to them. Ed could see, even in the darkness, that the others were just as uncertain as he was about this place.

The group followed Winry across the parking lot and up to the dark, garage-looking building. The lot was surrounded by a chain-linked fence and everything smelled of oil. Behind the building, Ed could barely make out the dark shapes of things. Winry knocked on the door once everyone was there.

"Who's there?" asked a voice from inside.

"It's me, Winry."

There was a clatter of metal on metal and then the door opened, revealing a Hispanic teenaged girl. She had short brown hair, pulled back into a stubby pony tail and was wearing a navy blue tank top, tan, military pant, and black combat boots.

"Winry!"

"Hey Paninya." Winry said before she gave the girl a hug.

"So what's up?! I haven't seen you in forever? How's your grandma?"

"Oh, Granny is as crazy as usual. She's actually out of town for the weekend."

"Well I'm glad to hear she's doing well. So what are you doing in this neck of the woods?" Paninya asked, looking around at the crowd of teens standing behind Winry.

"Yeah, well I was kinda wondering if I could talk to Dominic. (4) I have something to ask him."

"Alright. But may I ask why you have your little crew behind you?"

"Oh, these are my friends. Guys, this is Pininya."

There was a collective group of mumbled 'hellos'. Paninya's dark eyes flashed to Ed's right arm that was sticking out of his black t-shirt. She rushed forwards and pulled at Ed's arm to get a better look at it.

"ACK!" Ed exclaimed as Paninya tugged on his arm.

"_Ooooh!_This is that kid then! That kid that got your first automail. Nice work." Paninya added as she twisted Ed's arm so she could stare at the place were his hand and arm met.

"Are you done now?!" Ed yelled, his face reddening as he tried to block out his friends childish snickers, when Paninya tried to pull down Ed's shirt so that she could get a better glance at the port of the automail.

"Yup." Paninya said as if practically ripping off a stranger's shirt was the most normal thing in the world.

Paninya moved out of the way so that she could allow the others to come inside. The inside of the building looked like any other mechanics shop, reeking of oil and sweat.

"Hey! Dominic! Winry's here! She wants to ask you something!"

"Winry?" said a voice from another room.

There was another clang of metal on metal followed by heavy footsteps and low grumbles. In another doorway appeared a muscular, middle-aged man.

"What do you want?" Dominic grunted.

"Um, I was wondering if you could do me a favor." Winry said with a small smile.

"What kind of favor are you asking for?"

"A van." Winry answered boldly. "I just need to borrow one for a few days. A week or two max."

"Hmm…why do you need one?" Dominic asked, eyeing all of the teenagers that stood behind Winry. "What's wrong with that truck I gave you?"

"Oh my trucks fine! And thank you again for giving it to me. But we need to get to Florida once school's out. And none of us have a car that can hold all of us so I was wondering if you could-."

"You were wondering if I'd stick my neck out for you again on such short notice even though you are well aware of how busy I am. Is that what you were wondering?"

_Oh my God this guys gonna kill us!_ Ed couldn't help but think as he exchanged nervous glances with his friends who all looked extremely scared.

"Yes. I'm sorry but it's really important. My friend Ed here-," Winry turned around and pulled Ed out from the group of friends, much to his displeasure, "he really, _really_ needs to get to Florida. I can't wait. Say hi Ed."

Ed opened his mouth to say hello to the man, but nothing came out of his mouth. Instead he waved his hand at the man, something he regretted the second after he had done it.

"Automail…so this is that kid you helped out?"

"Yes sir."

"Let me take a look at it." Dominic growled, sending chills up Ed's spin.

After a hard shove on the shoulder blades from Winry, Ed stumbled forward and allowed the large man to inspect his arm and poke slightly at his leg.

"So you need a van?"

"Yes, if you can."

"I can. Follow me."

They passed by several rooms as they followed Dominic, all containing machinery and mechanics would were working too hard to pay attention to them. Finally, they reached a door that lead to the outside and went through it.

It appeared to be a large junk yard. Several skeletons of cars lay here and there along with piles and piles of oily machinery parts. They weaved in and out of the piles until they finally stopped in front of several beat up cars.

"Here." Dominic said while motioned to an old red van. "Will this do?"

Winry walked forward and began inspecting the van. She opened up the rusty door and began crawling around the seats.

"Could we take it today?" she asked from inside the van.

"Not today. We're still working on the engine but it should be done in a few days. When do you need it?"

"Oh, in a week."

"It'll be done by then."

"Well this is perfect! It looks like it could hold ten people."

"Yup. So does anyone want to buy it or are you runts just borrowing it?"

"Hmm…" Winry mumbled as she hopped out of the van. "How much would you really want for it?"

"One…two-hundred for it. We weren't really going to do much with it. Just seemed a damn near shame to leave it lying here."

"We might buy it. But should I come back to get it once it's done?"

"You said your Gran's out of town for the weekend?"

"Yes."

"Well then I'll drop it off at your place once it's done."

"Well thank you very much Dominic."

"Yeah, yeah. Just try not to bring so many runts the next time you decide stop by."

"Right, bye then."

* * *

"Where did you meet that guy?" Jean asked once they were back in the parking lot.

"He was an old buddy of my Granny."

"Well he's a fucking psycho." Roy said with a small shudder as he unlocked his car.

"No he isn't. He's just a little…scary looking. But really he's a very nice man once you get to know him. You should see him when he's with his grandson. Completely different person."

"Well I'll take your word for it."

* * *

It was almost morning. The sun was beginning to shine across the city, turning the sky a beautiful orange-pink color. After a long night of thinking and planning and more planning, everyone had been tiered out and collapsed an hour or so ago. And yet, Ed now found himself sitting out on Winry's balcony, staring out into the morning sun, completely awake.

All the talk of planning to go find his brother had given him an energy boost that kept him awake far longer than his body thought capable. Once most of the trip was planned out, Ed wanted to get into a car and drive there, not caring the slightest that there was still another week of school left.

_Seven days. I can't wait that long! I'll go crazy by then. Why can't I just skip those days? It's not like we do anything during that time accept waste money on electricity and water._

"Seven days…" Ed repeated to himself.

It would be the longest seven days of his entire life.

* * *

_Seven days left._

Edward left Winry's house later that day, around the same time that school got, feeling excited but extremely annoyed at the same time. He would have to do as Winry said before and just deal with it. But how the Hell could he? How the Hell could _anyone_ relax when they knew that there was a sibling out there, knew where they were, and had to wait a week until they could leave? It was insanity!

"Brother!" Kyle exclaimed when Ed entered through the front door.

"Hey Kyle."

"_Where have you been_?" Sammy asked as she rushed forward to hug Ed.

"Sorry, I was out."

"I haven't seen you since you left for school yesterday! I tried to call your cell phone but you wouldn't pick up! Why didn't you answer your phone? We were all worried sick!" Sammy admonished Ed as she tightened her grip around his abdomen.

"Geez let him breath Sammy." Terry said.

"I can't let him breathe until he fessed up and told us exactly where he's been! _Where have you been_?"

"Sorry." Ed said sheepishly. "I was out with my friends. We were doing some important things and well…I had to put all of my focus on it. Sorry."

"So you were so focused you couldn't take thirty second to call and say you weren't going to be home?"

"Ya'know Sammy, You should really start acting like your age." Terry said as he flopped down onto the couch. "I think you would find it rather pleasant."

"Well I'm sorry to disappoint but I can't when I have to look after you three! If it weren't for me, you boys would be living in gigantic pigsties and living off of hotdogs and crackers!"

"What's wrong with that?" Kyle asked innocently. "I like hot dogs."

"What's wrong with that is-!"

Sammy," Ed said, cutting her off mid-rant, "I'm sorry I couldn't call you guys."

"Well can you at least tell us _why_ you were so busy?"

Ed stared down at the three kids. Should he tell them? What was he going to say when he randomly left for a week or two?

"Uh, yeah…I guess I'll have to." Ed muttered, causing the others to stare at him, confused.

"So what's the reason?" Terry asked.

"Well you see…you know how I'm _practically_ a brother to you guys?"

"Yeah?"

"Well, it turns out that I'm…"

"You're what?"

"It turns out that I'm actually someone's brother. Blood and all."

"_What?!"_

"_Really?!_ Oh that's so cool!"

"I wish I had a real sibling! You're so lucky Eddy!"

Ed stared at the cluster of kids who now stood as close to him as possible while they fired question after question at him, a completely different reaction from what he got from his friends.

"Uh yeah." Ed said as he tried to stop their excited flow of questions. "But here's the thing. He lives all the way down in Florida-,"

"_Whoa, Florida!"_

"-and so I have to go drive down there and find him. But that could take a few days or maybe a week so once school's out, I'll have to go."

"So you'll be gone?"

"Not for too long but, just a heads up. I promise I'll be back though. Not longer than a week. If I am going to have to take longer than that, then promise I'll call you guys."

"Okay."

"Are you gonna leave the day school's out?"

"Who's going with you?"

"Can we go too?"

"Why can't we go too?"

"Will Kimblee let you go?"

"Are you going to ask him if you can?"

"Don't be thick Kyle, of course he isn't. That bastard would never-."

"Watch your language Terry!"

"Oh relax Sam, he's not here."

"Well you still shouldn't say that."

"Why not? Even you say it."

"Yes but it's still bad."

"So what? Kimblee's a bastard and everyone knows it."

"Eddy, when you go, come back as soon as you can, okay?"

"Yeah, please don't leave us alone for a long time. I don't want to be stuck here with Kimblee."

"Forget about Kimblee, what's brother like?"

"Yeah! Is he like you?"

"Does he know you're coming to see him?"

"What's his name?"

"Do you have a picture of him?"

"Do you know where he lives?"

"How old is he?"

"Is he older or younger than you?"

"_Eddy! _Speak up! Just answer our questions already! You're driving us insane!"

Okay relax, relax. I'll answer all of you're questions if you give me a minute to breath."

"You promise?"

"Yes, now let's go upstairs to talk."

"Okay!"

"Hey Eddy, when you find him, can he come and visit us?! Want to meet him!"

"Forget visit, do you think he can move in with us?"

"Why would he want to move in _here?_"

"Well then maybe he can move in somewhere close to here!"

"Wouldn't that be fun Eddy? To have your brother living right here? That would be fun!"

Ed let out a small sigh as he sat down on his mattress while the Sammy, Terry, and Kyle continued to babble away question after question. This week would defiantly be a long one, but thinking about the kids and how he would miss them, Ed thought that a week to wait wasn't as bad as he originally thought.

* * *

**(1) Awesome book by the amazing, Nerd-Fighting John Green.**

**(2) Awesome author.**

**(3) Seriously, go read it. _Now._**

**(4) The people from Rush Valley.**

**So, what did you think? Since Reviews are like drugs, I say you should give me tons and tons of reviews so that I can get over my cold and finally enjoy my Spring Break before it's over! :P**

**-FSK**


	17. When a Stranger Calls

**Hello everyone! Thanks for all of your reviews for last chapter and I am now extremly happy to say that we have broken the 150+ review mark! XD**

**Okay I'm just going to say sorry in advance for people who were expecting some serious action to hapen this chapter. Sorry! I also thought that this chapter would cover more ground than it did but it's becuase I remembered something that will be very important much later in the story, and I had to put into this chapter, so that it would make sense. Again, sorry. I hope you still love this chapter.**

* * *

Edward sat on a window sill in his U.S. History class Wednesday morning, completely annoyed with the situation he was stuck in. Due to Grumman's inability to say no to a class full of summer-bound student's, they had given up all forms of structure and were now in the middle of what appeared to be a recess at an elementary school.

The loud screaming and hysterics of the other teens was not his true source of annoyance, even though they were sincerely aggravating. No, what the true cause of Ed's annoyance was that fact that here he was, doing absolutely nothing when he could be out doing something productive. All of his friends had reminded him time and time again that one of his major flaws was that he could not stop and smell the preverbal flowers. Yes Ed understood this and always tried to fix that problem of his but at a time like this? How the Hell was he supposed to be able to sit in a damned classroom for seven hours a day for three more days? How was he supposed to except that he had to sit put until Friday, when he was free to do as he pleased? No he couldn't. He would go completely bonkers by then. He was sure of it.

"Hey Ed," Roy said as he sat down next to him.

"Hey," Ed said in a knee-jerk response.

"You should just relax Ed," Roy said, as if he could read what was going through Ed's head at that exact moment.

"How the Hell am I supposed to freaking relax, Mustang?"

"I don't know Elric. Maybe you could start by pulling that sick out of your ass."

"Oh tactful as always," Ed hissed, in no mood at all to deal with Roy.

"But seriously you have to relax or else you're gonna end up in a hospital due to stress. And then what are you gonna do when you're stuck in a hospital?"

"I'll probably jump out a window," Ed muttered as he twisted his neck slightly so that he was able to stare out the open window.

"Well then I'd make sure you were placed on one of the top floors of the hospital!"

"Yeah, you would," Ed grumbled before he brought his focus back to the clock that was hung at the back of the class room.

_Damn…fifteen more minutes to go._

Roy stared at his friend for another moment before he sighed, got off of the window sill, and began to walk away when he turned around and said, "You know you're just going to have to wait. There aren't any time machines available from what I hear."

Ed stared at the back of his ebony head for a while as he talked from one kid to another, always the King of Popularity.

"Ass…"

* * *

_Ring…Ring…Ring…_

"Hello?"

It was Thursday night.

Everything was packed. Everything was ready. Dominic had brought over the busted-down van to Winry's yesterday after school. Everyone had told their families of their trip ahead of time and, though they did not inform them on the true nature of the trip, everyone had been given permission to go. They were to leave at eight o'clock the next evening. Edward had checked, double, and triple check to make sure that there was not a quicker route there, he only stopped after Sammy had admonished him for being on the computer for much too long.

Edward now stood in his kitchen. He had been craving something to eat for some time now, but after Sammy had pushed him from the computer, he decided to give in to the gurgling grumbles of his stomach and search for something to eat. Just as he had placed dehydrated noodles and their bowl of water into the microwave, the telephone in the kitchen began to ring.

"Hello?" Ed repeated when no one on the other line answered. "Anyone there?"

"…_uh…"_

"Hello?" Ed asked, feeling a vein twitch in annoyance for the lack of response in the person.

"_Is this __E-Edward?" _

"Yes?"

The voice on the other line was deep and manly but also extremely nervous sounding. Ed had no idea as to who it was, but apparently, the other person knew who he was, and it unnerved him slightly. He didn't know many adults that weren't related to school or his friend's parents.

"Who is this? And who do you need to talk to?"

"_That's…that's not important right now. I would like to talk to you but…"_ The man on the other line seemed to be talking more to himself than actually talking to Ed. _"Anyways, what I wanted to do was ask if I could talk to a Mister Kimblee, if he's there."_

"Uh, yeah, he's here. I'll go get him."

Ed set the phone down on the table next to where the phone sat before he ran down the hall to where Kimblee sat in his room. After taking a deep breath, Ed knocked on the door.

"_What?!_" Kimblee hollered from inside his room.

"Someone's on the phone for you."

"Who is it?" Kimblee asked, suddenly sounding more curious and almost worried.

"Don't know. He wouldn't say."

"Fine, fine."

Edward waited until he heard Kimblee pick up the phone that he kept in his own room before he went back to hang up the phone in the kitchen. As Ed moved closer to the receiver, snippets of the conversation floated up to his ears.

"…_he is not yours!"_ yelled the other man.

"_Yes he is! I have him fair and square."_ Kimblee spat into the phone.

With curiosity brewing in his stomach, Ed quickly glanced over his shoulder before he picked up the receiver, careful to cover up the mouth piece with his hand, and held it up to his ear to listen.

"…_Why you, of all people, would even want to look after kids are far beyond me Zolf."_

_Zolf?_ Ed thought._ If he was on first name bases with Kimblee, then he must be pretty close to him, whoever this guy is._

"_I don't. But I have to admit, it's a cherry gig here. I don't have to do one bit of work and the government pays me plenty. If you're strapped for cash, you should try it out. Little orphans are popping up everywhere."_

"_I don't want other children! I want__-!"_

"_Well too damn bad! Because this is what you get! This is what you and that whore get for running away together!"_

"_Don't you ever dare call my wife a whore!"_

"_Oh I will and do much, much more than that!"_

"_It doesn't matter because she's gone now." _Ed noticed that the man's voice began to quiver at the end of the sentence.

"_Well it's what she dissevered!"_

"_What she dissevered!? Maybe. Maybe in your twisted-up little mind that makes sense but what truly does not make sense is why you would have to endanger to lives of two innocent children! You could have killed them! You practically did to one of them!"_

"_Oh he's just fine you little push-over. And as far as I know, your other brat is fine and happy so don't throw another hissy-fit or I swear I'll-."_

"_You'll what? You'll ruin my life even more? You'll go and kill them? I swear if you even _try_ to lay a single finger on either one of their heads-."_

"_Too late on that one pops. As I'm sure you know. You're the one that sent that agent over here weren't you? You almost sent all these kids lose!"_

"_Yes and then they'd finally be able to put their problems behind them and live a good life! Something, because of you, Edwards been denied!"_

_Me?_ Ed thought. _Why does this man know me? Why does he know Kimblee? And why does he sound as if he cares about me?_

"_Don't you dare start harping about that brat to me again. Fuck, since I know that you're just going to scream and whine at me until I give up custody on him-."_

CLICK!

Kimblee had ended the call. Ed let the phone back onto its mount as quietly as possible before forgetting about his food and running outside onto the back porch.

…_he is not yours!…I don't want other children! I want _my_-!…You're the one that sent that agent over here weren't you?... Something, because of you, Edwards been denied! …_

This man, whoever he was, knew him. He knew that Kimblee was mistreating and even abusing him and the other children here. From what Edward was able to gather, this man was not a friend or ally or Kimblee; he sounded to caring to ever be like Kimblee.

"He sent that agent…" Edward muttered to himself.

Two years ago an agent from Child Services had arrived and, after a small investigation, finned Kimblee for some small misdemeanors and left. For a few days, Ed had believed that he would be leaving Kimblee's Hell hole, only to be crushed when the man turned him back into Kimblee's clutches.

…_he is not yours!… I want _my_-!_

Ed let the mans voice ring in his ears for a few more moments before he got up from where he sat and walked back into the kitchen to eat.

* * *

"Do you have everything you need Eddy?" Sammy asked as she stared at all of the bags that sat near the front door.

It was Friday night. Winry would be appearing in front of Ed's house in a matter of minutes to load up his luggage before leaving for the trip. Ed was sure he had everything but there was always that uncertain feeling in his stomach that made him believe that he had forgotten something important.

"Yes. But what I'm more worried about are you guys. Are you sure you're all going to be okay?" Ed asked for what felt the tenth time today.

"Yes, yes. We've been over this. Me, Kyle, and Terry are all staying over at various friends' houses until you come back," Sammy said as he stared intently at Ed. "And if you are going to be longer than what we discussed and if we can't find a place to stay at, we'll all stay at the local motel down the block. Don't worry. We'll all be fine."

"I know but…just promise me that if Kimblee does anything to you guys-_anything_-you'll go straight to the police. I don't care what it is, but if I'm not here to be his personal punching bag, I don't want any of you to be a replacement."

"I know Eddy. Just relax and have fun," Sammy said with a small smile on her face. "Have fun for all of us and call once you've found him."

"I will," Ed said with a smile in return.

"Good."

Sammy got on her tip-toes and Ed bent down slightly so that the pre-teen could land a small, sisterly kiss on Ed's cheek. Sammy called the other kids out to come and say goodbye and good luck to Ed.

"I promise I'll call you guys everyday."

"You don't have to call us _everyday_," Terry said with a small tone of disgust in his voice that came along with the thought that he was much too grown up to be babied like this from someone who was only three years older than himself.

"But you can if you feel the need," Sammy said in a loud voice before giving Terry a look.

"Alright," Kyle proclaimed with a large smile. "Hugs!"

"Okay you little bugger," Ed said before he encased the smallest in a back-breaking hug that made Kyle giggle.

_Honk, Honk!_

Ed looked out the screen door to see a large red van with a blond girl in the drivers' seat, waving at him.

"Bye guys."

"Bye Ed!"

"Bye Eddy!"

"Don't be afraid to call me."

"Stop worrying about us."

"Make sure you take care of each other."

"We will."

"Bye!"

"Go!

Ed threw his bags into the back of Winry's van, which was already loaded up with coolers along with other bags of her own before Ed climbed into the passengers' seat.

"'Sup," Ed asked with an excited smile.

"Nothing," Winry answered as she began to drive down the street. "Are you ready to sit in a car for over twenty hours?"

"You bet."

* * *

**Ooooh. Who is this mistery caller? I'll give a prize to the first person to guess it right! :D I'll reward the winner with anything: stories dedicated to them, special secret spoilers on this story if they want, whatever.**

******And sorry but since my Spring Break will be over tomorrow and my school's musical is getting really close, I will probably not be updating very quickly until after the 17th. :(**

**So, I promise next chapter will have some more action but I can also promise that next chapter will probbly not hold Ed and Al's reuinion. But, if you reders want me to get there, please send me more reviews. :P**

**-FSK**


	18. Stranded

**24 reviews...Holy Shit. Seriously, I love everyone who sent me a review because I never thought I would get that many reviews before. And because I got so many reviews, I decided to give you this chapter earlier than I expected to.**

**So, I hope you all enjoy!**

_

* * *

_

"Ugh…pull over!"

Jean groaned from his place in the back of the van.

"No way!" Ed yelled back to him. "We just stopped for food an hour ago. We're not pulling over again when we're already behind schedule!"

"But I got to piss…"

"Hold it."

"Ed just let the man stop on the side of the road!" Roy yelled from the back.

"Yeah, because if he pees back here he's not the only one who'll be in trouble," Riza growled.

"Fine, fine."

They had only been driving for a few hours now. The sun had gone and now the only lights were the soft glow of the large overhead lamps. Winry slowly moved over to the side of the street, the car vibrating every time they passed over one of the indentations on the side of the road to wake up sleeping drivers, and then unlocked the doors so that Jean could get out.

"If anyone else has to piss I would suggest you do it know!" Ed yelled.

"You're such a hard ass Ed," Sheska whined. "I thought this was supposed to be fun and here you won't even stop to let your friends piss."

"_This isn't about having fun!_" Ed growled as he grinded his teeth together.

"Relax Ed," Winry said quietly. "We all know what this is about. Relax."

"Yeah listen to your wife up there and learn to take a firggen Joke," Maes said with a smirk.

"Winry is not my wife!" Ed yelled as he stood up on his seat and turned to look at his sniggering friends.

"Oh you're right. She's you're little fiancé."

As Ed was about to scream again, Winry grabbed onto the back of his shirt and pulled him down onto his seat.

"Relax Ed or else I'm going to have to knock you out for the rest of the trip."

"Hurry the Hell up Jean!" Ed yelled, rolling down his window. "What were you holding that in for month?!"

"Sorry!" Jean yelled as he came running back into the van.

"Okay can we get this rust bucket moving again?"

"Maybe if you said 'please'," Winry muttered darkly before she turned the van back onto the highway.

* * *

Once everyone had relaxed and begun to feel the effects of sleep, the van was filled with the quiet hum of talking mixed in with the soft lull of the radio. Ed stared at the clock as he felt his eyes tugging for sleep.

_12:04…_

Ed turned his attention to Winry, who was still driving, and saw that even thought her eyes looked focused on the task ahead, her body showed signs of exhaustion.

"Hey Win."

"What is it?"

"Where are we now?"

"We're almost at Cincinnati."

Ed let out a low growl at the news. They had been driving for hours and they still weren't out of the state! This was going to take forever at this rate.

"Hey Win," Ed said, remembering the other thing he wanted to say to her.

"Yeah?"

"You look kinda tired. Maybe someone else should drive for a while."

"Oh no I'm fine. Maes said he would drive in an hour so I can hang on until then."

"Alight then."

Ed let a loud yawn out before he curled up in his seat and let sleep take him…

_Edward was running down a wood-paneled hallway, his bare feet were creating a loud slapping noise. As he ran passed an open door, he could hear a very small child crying and a women trying to sooth it. The largeness of everything around him told him that he was a young child. He was younger than he could have ever remember being. Why he even running? _

_Knock, knock!_

_Someone was at the door._

_As Ed was about to open the door, a large man stopped him._

"_Edward!" the man scolded. "You know you're not supposed to open the door."_

"_Sorry daddy," Ed muttered in a tiny voice. _

"_It's alright," he said with a sigh before he opened up the door._

_It was pouring out and some of the cold water had managed to blow into the warm house. Ed tried to peak around his father's leg to see who he was talking to, but he kept shifting in front of him, almost as if he did not want Ed to see or be seen by the other person. Once his father slammed the heavy door closed, he turned down to look at Ed._

"_Daddy who was that?" Ed's small question caused a smile to form on his face._

"_Oh no one," he said before he bent down and picked Ed up, forcing loud giggles out of the small boy. "No one important."_

_Ed looked out the rain-washed window and let out an involuntary squeak. There was someone out there. Someone was staring at him, no, glaring at him and his father. His young instincts told him that whoever it was was bad._

"_Daddy! There's someone out there!"_

"_What?"_

_He sat Ed down onto the couch before he opened up the front door and peered outside. Who was out there? And why did Ed get this sudden feeling of foreboding…?_

"…should stop for a minute. Just to stretch our legs."

"Good idea. We need gas anyways."

Ed's eyes flew open as he struggled to remember were he was. The darkness was disorientating to Ed's head. Where was he?

"Let's hurry up and get out before sleeping beauty over here wakes up and realizes we stopped."

Ed realized that it was Roy and Maes who were talking and that Roy had just called him 'sleeping beauty.'

"Too late," Ed grunted. "I'm up."

"Yeah and too late for you to stop us since we're already off the highway."

"I know. I want to stop. Have to pee," Ed muttered as he whipped the sleep out of his eyes and suddenly felt the pressure of a full bladder. "What time is it?"

"It's just passed two in the morning."

"Anyone know where the fuck we are?"

"I think we're in Kentucky," Maes answered as he pulled the van into a large gas station.

"Perfect," Ed growled before he hopped out of the van and into the cool night air that bit at his warm flesh.

As Ed moved to the gas station, he heard Roy and Maes shouting to wake the others up, telling them if they needed to pee or if they needed anything, they were to get up now.

Once Edward had gone to the bathroom, he stood in front of a cooler in the gas station, debating on what he wanted.

_Soda…no. water, nope. I could use a beer, but I don't think we're far enough passed the Mason-Dixon Line to try and wiggle a beer out of a gas station clerk._

Ed decided on an energy drink just as the rest of his friends were stumbling into the gas station.

"What time is it?" he heard Sheska whine.

"So where are you kids headed to?" asked the clerk.

"Florida."

"Hmm…long ways away from here."

"Tell me about it," Ed muttered as he paid for his drink and turned to leave through the double doors.

Sitting back in the car, Ed's mind wandered to what had woken him up before. What was he dreaming about? After a few moments, Ed reasoned that there wasn't anything to remember and it was probably nothing.

"Let's get this baby back on the road!" Jean yelled as he dove back into the van.

"Jean you better shut up or there's going to be even more blood on the back seat," Riza growled as she sat back down.

Ed laughed quietly while listening to his friends bicker before he slipped back into sleep.

* * *

"_So where are you guys?"_

"We're in Tennessee. Almost into Georgia."

"_That's cool. I've never been down there before."_

It was mid morning and Ed was talking on the phone to Sammy, Terry, and Kyle. After much deliberation, the group decided to stop at a local dinner and get some substantial breakfast. Ed stood outside the dinner while the others paid for their meals.

"Yeah, it's really nice here. When the sun came up it was really beautiful. So how's your summer vacation so far?"

"_Alright…kinda boring though. Kimblee's just been ignoring us so far so it hasn't been that bad."_

"Well that's good. Look Sammy I've got to go. But I swear I'll call you later okay?"

"_Yeah that's fine Eddy. Have fun."_

"I will. Bye."

"_Bye."_

"Everything alright at home?" Winry asked as she came out of the dinner.

"Yeah. Kimblee's not bothering them or anything so they're fine."

"Good. Well since everyone's filled up on food, I think we can keep driving for a while now."

"Perfect. We're a bit more than seven hours away and if we keep driving according to plan, then we should be able to get there by tonight."

If only your ideas always went according to plan…

* * *

"Dammit!" Winry exclaimed as she stared at the black smoke that was belching out of the van's front.

"What the Hell's wrong?" Ed asked in a slight panic once he saw the large quantities of black smoke.

"Something's wrong with the engine," Winry growled as she pulled out a pair of mechanic gloves and began working through the smoke.

"Can you fix it?" Roy asked as he came jumping out of the van.

A few hours had passed since they had stopped at the dinner. After Winry had heard something pop, Winry pulled over and saw, to her annoyance and Ed's pure horror, that due to a fan belt gone arise and an engine way passed its prime, they were now stuck without transportation.

"Are you fucking kidding me?! What the Hell are we supposed to do?! Are we supposed to _walk_ the other 300 miles there?!"

The other teens all looked from each other to Ed with similar blank and slightly scared faces.

"I'm sorry Ed but I don't have the parts I need to fix it. Sorry," Winry said as she slowly put away her greased tools away one by one, while waiting for the explosion that was bound to happen any second. Unfortunately, Winry knew that most of Ed's rage would be directed at her, since she was the only that could do anything when it came to fixing mechanics.

"So what the Hell are we supposed to do?! How are going to _fucking_-," Ed aimed a kick at a nearby log and sent it flying just inches over his friends cowering heads, "do _anything_ when this fucking goddamn piece of shitty junk is busted-down?! Huh? Should we all just hitch-hike?! Should we just walk to the next god damn station?!"

"Edward, I'm sorry but it's not anyone's fault-."

"Really?! Because last time I checked your big and bad friend Dominic said he could have this, this-_rust-bucket_-," Edward swung his automail leg again and landed a kick to the side of the car, leaving a small dent, "get to Florida and back again! But it fucking didn't!"

"Ed relax," Roy tried to yell, but he just couldn't seem to find the volume for it, "I'm sure if we just walk to the next station we could find the part we need and then walk back and then be on the road again before sundown."

"Oh before sundown that's just fucking _perfect_!" Ed yelled scathingly into Roy's face. "Since we're walking, why don't we just walk the rest of the way? Why not?! Good bit of exercise! _FUCK!_"

Seething with his fists closed shut so tightly, his nails were digging into his flesh; Ed turned his back to his friends and began walking into the other direction, sending waves of his horrible attitude in all different directions. He stomped along for a good few feet until he sat down on a large boulder and gripped his hair tightly, almost to the point of ripping it out, with his hands as he bit down on his bottom lips to contain the horrible cry of annoyance and frustration that was bound to come.

"Will he bit alright?" Maes asked, who was slightly shaken up by the ordeal, having never seen Ed blow up like that before.

"Yeah," Winry said. "Just let him cool off for right now. If you bother him while he's throwing his little tantrum, you just might find yourself very much needing a hospital visit. But that's not what we should be worried about now."

"Yeah, we have to find a way to get this piece of junk fixed."

"Maybe we should call a to-truck and get this thing to the nearest station and then the rest of us walk there," Jean said. "Then by the time we get there, this could be almost done."

"Probably the only thing we can do," Winry said with an annoyed sigh before she looked at Maes, Jean, and Sheska. "Can one of you guys Google for a mechanic in this area?"

"Why do we have to do it?" Jean asked but pulled out his phone all the same.

"Because you three have those ridiculous phones that can search the web. Now look already."

"Alright, relax. You don't have to bite my head off."

"Hey, I found one," Sheska said as she ran over to Winry with her phone.

Winry then took out her own phone and dial the number on the website Sheska had shown.

"Yes, Hello? Sorry but my van broke down on the side of high way…I-75 S and we really need it taken to the nearest mechanics shop. Uh-huh. Yes, of course. Please, you see this is an _emergency _and if we don't get back on the road soon-. Yes I do realize that this is a rush but we need to-. Yes I realize that this is-. Yes, I think I know when my car is simply out of gas you sexist pig! Now get a to-truck out here this instance or I'll-! Yes. Thank you very much. Good bye."

"So what did he say?"

"He said he's sending over a truck right now and it should be here in about ten minutes."

"Good. How far away is this mechanics shop anyway?"

"It's about five miles away. Not too far to walk."

"Well then once it gets here, I think one or two of us could ride there with it and then-."

"Hey guys…" Ed muttered as he came walking up behind them.

"Oh, hey Ed," Winry said with a small smile.

Ed's face was tinged pink in embarrassment, probably for realizing what he had done, and he gripped the back of his neck with his flesh hand, while looking border-line mortified.

"So…sorry I kinda blew up on you guys before."

"It's alright Ed. We just called a to-truck to pick up the van. We thought that we could walk to the mechanics shop since it's not that far away and then we can think of what to do next once we know the full damage report."

"Okay…" Ed said with a small tired sigh. "I guess if that's the best that we can do."

Ed turned his head up to the sun and let out a small groan. Even if it was nothing at all, they had already lost precious time by sitting here and Ed had a instinctive feeling that told him that those lost hours would come back to bite him on the ass.

* * *

**I loved writing Edward's extreme hissy-fit. I could just picture every moment of it.**

**Sorry for leaving this here but you should all be happy because I was originally going to make this a short chapter.**

***Announcement*If anyone loves Harry Potter, Ouran High School Host Club, and randomness, please check out a new cross-over crack fic that I recently published! Please send me a review for it if you liked it!**

**Well, that's all and I'm sorry if I don't update for a while since my school Musical is less than a week away and everyone's going crazy.**

**Bye!**

**-FSK**


	19. Waiting

**Hi everyone! Sorry for the slight wait but trust me, I've been super busy with school stuff. But, since yesterday was my school's last Musical performance (T_T *I cried so much yesterday*) and I no longer need to stay at school until eight o'clock or later, I think I should be a Hell of a lot less busy. **

**So, here's the next chapter. Sorry if it's a little short of kinda filler-ish but I had to do it this way.**

* * *

"So what's the damage?" Ed asked with a small wince while he stared at the large, red van.

The to-truck had arrived, allowing Winry and him to ride to the local mechanics shop. The rest of the group where yet to come but Ed had a feeling that it would only be a matter of time before they showed up; they had left a while ago.

"Well, I won't mince words with you," said the large mechanic who was busy de-greasing his large, hairy arms, "because you and I both know that it won't do no good. So I'll just come out and say that your engine is overheated."

Ed let out a small groan. He wasn't very knowledgeable when it came to mechanics, but between the tone the man was using and the look Winry was giving him, he knew it wasn't something that they could just blow off.

"So what can we do about it?"

"Well I do have some good news for you guys. Since this little miss caught this soon, I was able to get a look at it before the gasoline ignited or before you blew your head gasket. So this should be fixed a lot sooner than I would have thought."

"But…how long will it still take?" Ed asked uneasily. Even though there was good news, Ed knew by experience to expect bad new too.

"You kids said you were in a rush right?" He asked while rubbing his scruffy chin.

"Yes."

"Well since you too seem like good kids, I'll make it a rush job."

More good news, but Ed continued to hold his breath in until he knew the true verdict of the mater.

"I'll have it done by tomorrow."

_Tomorrow…Tomorrow. Hours. You're losing hours! Almost an entire day! This can't be happening._

Once Ed was shaken from his trance-like state, he noticed that Winry had been asking the man about good, cheap places to stay at in the town. He knew that he was stuck. He knew that he couldn't be mad at the man in front of him for he was doing the best he could and even making it so that they could leave as soon as possible. Instead of screaming and fighting and doing everything his insides told him to do, Ed thanked the man, walked out of his shop, and made his way down the main street with Winry, in search of the Motel he had mentioned.

* * *

Ed stared up at the blank, peach-colored ceiling of the Motel room. The rest of the group had met up soon after the incident at the mechanics and where all horrified to find themselves stranded, a mere six hours away from their destination. Now they all sat on the floor of the Motel room, discussing in whispers as to what they should do until they were able to mobilize once more. Ed had the sneaking suspicion that they believed that if they talked loudly about the upsetting subject, they might incur the wrath if another Famous-Edward-Hissy-Fit. But in all reality, it just made Ed more aggravated and made his need for release increase.

"God I need a drink," He exclaimed to the entire room.

Those simple five words appeared to have perked up everyone in the room instantly. Jean and Roy exchanged mischievous smirks while Maes and Sheska made faces that appeared to agree with Ed's idea. Winry and Riza were the only two that did not seem excited about the prospect of drinking in an area they were not familiar with. Ed sat up after a moment and looked at his friends.

"Where do you think we find some booze?"

This question caused Roy's smirk to deepen into something that could be classified as borderline psychotic.

"I'm glad you asked that Ed."

"Well now because of that face you're making I don't think I am."

"Oh no, it's fine. I'm just excited!" Roy said with a small squeal of delight.

"Why may I ask, even though I know I'm going to regret it," Riza asked.

"I have a fake I.D.!" Roy exclaimed while he waved around his wallet.

"Oh no," Winry moaned.

"Oh yes!" Jean said as he pried the wallet out of Roy's hand and then proceeded to search for the I.D.

"'Francis Morrison'? What the Hell is with that name? What are you? From the 1800's?" Jean asked scathingly as he stared at the card.

"Hey I didn't ask for the name choice, I just got it as is," Roy said as he snatched his card back. "And besides, this thing had already worked for me plenty of time so it doesn't matter what you guys say."

"What have you needed it for?" Maes asked curiously.

"Where do you think I get all of Jean's cigarettes from? They don't just drop out of the sky."

"Well then who's got the money to pay for this?" Winry asked sternly while she crossed her arms across her chest. "Because even though I know you are somehow loaded, it's not like you can go and sneak money from you mother."

"Don't worry, don't worry. I'll handle it," Roy said with a not-so reassuring smile.

_

* * *

_

Just one more…

Ed thought as he stared hazily at the cup that had just been re-filled, by Jean, with amber liquid that he held in his hands. _One more and I'll go to sleep…_

Edward had been telling himself for the passed hour. Ed turned his head and grinned drunkenly to a red-faced Winry who was sitting on the floor next to him. It was almost four in the morning now and as Ed chugged his drink, he tried to remember the events that got him where he was now.

_Roy had come back with more alcohol than anyone could have expected him to…he brought _way_too much…and then…then I started drinking some of those fruity drinks Win and Sheska like. And then…I switched to the beer. _

Ed let out a small moan as his head began to pound, but he tried his best to ignore it and drained the rest of his cup, even though most of the liquid slopped onto his shirt.

"Need a re-fill?" ten slowly revolving Jeans asked as he stared down at Ed with a large grin.

Ed could have sworn that his head had shaken side to side and his mouth had made a noise that must have meant 'no', but Jean's smile widened and poured more of the amber liquid into his cup. He should have just tossed the stuff. He should have just went to bed hours ago when Roy started drinking the harder liquor that he had bought for himself. But he didn't and so his severely drunken brain forced his hand up to his mouth and tipped the cup towards his mouth.

"Ed…"

Ed slowly turned his head to look at Winry. Moments ago she had been red-faced and giggly. But now, her face was drained of color and a thin sheen of sweat coated her forehead. Ed opened his mouth to respond but for a few moment's nothing but air came out of his mouth.

"Whaizit?"

"I'm gonna puke…" Winry whispered as she rubbed her unsettling stomach.

"Can't get up," Ed muttered after struggling on the floor for a moment.

"Neader can I…"

"Try."

"You try…"

And so Ed struggled and pushed and pulled until he was in a standing position. Once he had stopped swaying, Ed reached out a hand to one of the seven Winrys before they gripped onto his hand and got up.

They stumbled and tripped and had many near misses while they made their way to the bathroom, or at least what they thought was the bathroom when in all reality it was actually the door that lead to outside.

"Whoa…when did da bafroom geh so big?" Ed asked as he swayed from side to side while he somehow supported Winry, who was becoming greener and greener by the minute.

"Ed…dis isn't da bafroom," Winry moaned as she slipped in Ed's grip.

"Jus puke out 'ere…" Ed muttered before he collapsed onto the ground, bringing Winry down with him.

"Oww…whyju do dat Ed?"

"Huh?" Ed grunted as he tried, and failed, to pick himself up from the ground.

Winry let out a pathetic moan before she pulled herself up onto the railings of the stairs and then vomited all of the contents of her stomach. Winry's loud retching got the attention of Ed, who appeared to have passed out.

"You okay Win?"

"No…" she moaned before she retched again. "I need ta go tada hospital…"

"No," Ed said, instantly perking up at this news. "You're not that sick."

"I feel ligit …"

"Yeah bu-but you don't look _that _bad. I mean I know wha' alk-ee-hall poisonin' looks like and… and…"

Winry's skin looked extremely clammy and her slightly erratic breathing registered even in Ed's alcohol soaked brain. She had been slurring a lot of her words and, after a quick glance at the parking lot below them, she had vomited a lot. Did she have alcohol poisoning?

"I'll go get Roy…he can help," Ed reasoned as he pushed himself from the ground.

"No!" Winry pleaded. "Don't leabme out 'ere!"

"But I…gota go get Roy ta help."

"No…" Winry moaned weakly as her eyes began to tear up and she shook her head back and forth. "No…stay by me…please?"

Before Ed knew what he was doing, he had plopped down next to Winry; his legs hanging over the edge of the concrete walkway and the only thing keeping him from falling were the metal hand rails. Winry stared at him for a moment, as if not believing what she was seeing, before she leaned to left and placed her head onto Ed's shoulder.

"Thanks…" Winry muttered into Ed's neck as she felt Ed scoot towards her.

"No problem…dat's what I'm 'ere for," Ed mumbled as he placed his head on top of hers before he closed his eyes.

The two soon fell asleep like that. Unaware of many things that were to come in the next week or so, including the fact that the morning sun, that would be rising in a few hours, would wake them and their hangovers up in the worst of ways.

* * *

**Ooooh, they're getting closer and closer to Al...what do you think is going to happen when they finally meet? *evil grin* Well you'll just have to send me a review to tell what ou think now won't you.**

**Thanks for reading!**

**-FSK**


	20. A Hangover in the Sunshine State

**Hooooraaayyyy! Last chapter we brook the 200 review mark!!!!! Yaaaayyyyy!!!!! Thanks to everyone who reviewed last chapter so that it was possible! ^^**

**Chapter 20...wow. When I first came up with this story idea I didn't plan it being longer than 23 chapter, but trust me-we have a lot more ground to cover. *sniff, sniff* My little fic grows up so fast...But enough gushing.**

**Sorry for last chapters filler but now we are getting back onto the road and stiring up some Hell. (I love this chapter title. It pretty much has very little to do with what actually goes on but I thought of it a while ago so...why not?) **

**So enjoy and please send me a review!**

* * *

"Okay…now who's in any fit state to drive?" Maes asked as he stared around at his friends, most of whom looked like they where about to drop dead any minute now.

The mechanics shop had called early that morning to tell them that their van had been fixed and was ready to be picked up. After picking who would go and get the van (Maes pulled the short straw) they returned back to the motel. Now they were all in a discussion over who would have to drive for the next few hours.

Knowing that he was already much too tired to pay attention to the road, Maes looked around at his friends and waited for an answer that would not come. Roy was leaning against the van with his arms folded tightly across his chest and his mouth shut firmly into a straight line. He appeared to be awake but Maes, who had known Roy for several years now, knew better and could tell that he was sleeping with his eyes open; something that he had perfected during their sixth grade English class. Sheska was slumped on the ground, looking more tired than hung-over if anything, but everyone had agreed long ago that Sheska was not allowed to drive. Ever. Ed and Winry were nowhere to be seen but Maes knew that they where passed out in the back of the van already. Jean was lounging on the hood of the van, a lit cigarette stuck firmly between his lips and his eyes closed. Was he smoking while asleep? Who knew, but Maes wasn't going to ask Jean to drive; he was in the same boat as Sheska. Finally, Maes' eyes shifted to Riza who was standing in between him and Roy. Her body showed signs of fatigue and a long night but her clear brown eyes where as sharp and focused as ever. She alone looked like the best choice to drive.

"Riza?" Maes asked.

"Huh?"

"Can you drive? Just for a little, just until I get a few more winks of sleep," Maes said quickly.

Riza, already being enough of an oddity when it came to common teenage idiosyncrasies, did not like to drive at all. She would always find excuses and other ways to get around without needing to personally drive a car. When asked why, she would say that there were too many stupid people on the road that would get her into an accident. Hopefully she would realize that do to her friends' current states, she would man up and drive.

"I kinda realized that I would probably need to drive when I saw these idiots this morning," Riza sighed. "I'd really rather not die in a car crash. But yeah, I'll drive for a few hours. Hand me the keys."

"Thanks Riza, you're a life saver."

"Uh, huh. Just go and check out of the Motel so we can leave."

* * *

Edward cracked his eyes as he felt the van shudder to a stop. People were talking in low voices as they opened doors and got out of the van. Suddenly Sheska's head popped over the bench in front of him.

"Oh! You're awake, good."

"Where are we?"

"I think we're somewhere in the middle of Georgia. We just stopped at a gas station. You should probably get out and stretch your legs 'cause Winry's doesn't want to stop again until we get there."

"How far away are we?" Ed asked as he sat up quickly. If she didn't want to stop, that meant that they must be at a reasonable distance away, right?

"Umm…I _think_Maes said something like three hours."

"_Three_?" Ed asked as he jumped around the seat and out of the van.

They were so close. He could be reunited with his brother in a mere three hours! Edward knew that this was probably stretching it, since they didn't even know where he lived but still, a guy could wish.

"So Winry wants to leave in ten minutes!" Sheska shouted as Ed bolted across the gas station parking lot and inside the gas station.

* * *

**Welcome to Florida**

"**The Sunshine State"**

As Ed read those words on the sign, his stomach began to contract slightly with nerves that had been smothered by excitement for the past day and a half. They were only an hour away now. What was going to happen when he got there? How where they even going to find him once they got there? School was probably out so it wasn't like they could just stand around outside until they found him.

"Hey Ed?"

Ed turned around from his seat in the front and stared at Roy, who was looking unusually apprehensive. He had a felling of what Roy was going to say but he responded to him anyways.

"Yeah?"

"Well I was just wondering…well, how do you think we're going to find him? I mean, you just found out the school he goes to. That doesn't mean that he lives there or anything."

Everyone in the van appeared to perk up at these words. How _were _they going to find Al in the first place? How big of a city was Tallahassee? Defiantly too big to go door to door and ask if they new an Alphonse Elric. Ed stared out the empty window for a moment before he let out a breath that he hadn't realize he was holding and spoke the only reasonable idea that came to mind.

"We'll just have to go back to the old stand-by and break into the damn place."

Okay, maybe reasonable wasn't the right word for this idea but it was damn sure going to be the most likely of choices when Ed had Roy Mustang, local miscreant and lock picker extraordinaire, with him.

"Wait. What did you just say?" Winry asked while staring at him for a few moments; she only stopped once she began to swerve on the road.

"You heard me. It's probably the best and quickest way to do things."

"Ed," Riza spoke up with a small, almost hysteric laugh in her voice, "You do realize how it would look if we got caught breaking into a school that we don't go to? Hell, we don't even live in the same _state. _Do you think this is really a smart idea?"

"Hey, I never said this was a _smart _idea. I just thought it was the easiest and most realistic idea."

"But it's insane!"

"Well I don't see any of you people coming up with ideas. So speak up if you have an idea."

Everyone looked around at each other, hoping that someone would come up with another idea, but no one said a word as they exchanged their worried expressions. The only one, who didn't look worried about prospect of breaking into a completely unknown school, was Roy. He hadn't said much of anything after he asked the initial question. Truth was Roy knew that he would be very much needed for this plan to work and truthefully, that didn't bother him in the slightest.

"So no ideas then?" Ed asked as he turned to look at his friends. "What do you think Roy?"

"Let's do it," Roy said with a small smirk, causing several of the teens to let out noises of annoyance.

"Fine!" Winry exclaimed in annoyance. "But I'm leaving you dumb asses in prison once you get caught."

"No you won't," Ed said with an evil grin while he gave Roy a quick Hi-Five.

* * *

"This is it…" Ed whispered as he stared out the open window of the van.

A large building stood in front of them, looking like a towering monster in the dark of night. Edward's heart was pounding against his rib cage as he reached out to open his car door.

"Wait!" Maes hissed into his ear; he was going to be tonight's get-away driver.

"_What_?" Roy and Ed growled in whispers.

"Let's just go over the plan one more time."

"But-."

"But nothing. I don't want us ending up in jail just because you were too excited to pay attention to what was going on around you."

"Fine."

Hours had passed since they had arrived in Tallahassee. Once the group had found a small motel to stay in again, they instantly went into action. Roy and Ed did most of the work, not wanting anyone else to screw up accidentally and then being rewarded in guilt for their mistake. They really couldn't do that much research on Maes' laptop but they had found out, thanks to the school website, they had learned a few good pieces of information: the school let out the past Friday and teachers had just finished organizing their work and left for the summer. But how were they going to break into a school that they didn't know? Who knew, they'd just have to go by luck. So they donned all black clothing, hats and gloves, and loaded up a bag of supplies before they left.

"We have to find the main office first," Ed recited to Roy.

"Once we find it, we have to break in and find the records office."

"Find Al's file-," Ed started.

"And leave as fast as fucking possible," Roy finished.

"What about alarms?" Maes asked worriedly. "All school's have alarms."

"Oh don't worry about that," Ed whispered with a grin while he fumbled with something in a gym bag. He then pulled out what appeared to be a white bed-sheet, casing Maes to become utterly confused.

"What the Hell is a _bed-sheet_ going to do?"

"Trust me, it works."

"How do you know?!" Maes asked as he turned to his best friend.

"Let's just sometimes it benefits from watching too much T.V." Roy said, also smiling.

"What?"

"Let's just say a certain show called _Mythbusters_ has helped us with a lot of our evil deeds." (1)

"Oh great…" Maes said with a small moan. "Well, just be careful in there. I swear I will leave your asses if I see a cop."

"You're a nice friend," Ed said before he opened up the door and hopped out, Roy following close behind.

"You better be out in twenty minutes!" Maes hissed as the two became lost in the dark.

The only noises were the soft crunches of their feet on grass, the small shifting noises coming from Ed's bag, and their quiet breathing. Roy began to sprint once they were under the over of a large awning. After another moment of running, they reached a row of high window; Ed instantly pulled out a number of screw drivers.

"Can you get to it?" Ed asked.

"Nah, I need a boost."

"Am I supposed to lift your fat ass?"

"Not unless you think you can open the window yourself."

"Fine, fine…" Ed grumbled before he helped Roy up to the window ledge. "Can you hurry up there? My arms are killing me!"

"This is an art work and you have to…give…it…" there was a soft click and then a swooping noise, "time," Roy finished with a grin, sounding very proud of himself.

"Okay now can you get off of me?"

Ed instantly felt Roy's weight leave him. Ed looked up and saw Roy's head hanging out of the window.

"Do you remember where the nearest door was?"

"It was right before these windows."

"Okay, hand me the sheet so I don't trip any alarms."

After a moment of struggling, Ed managed to toss Roy the sheet and began to run back to the door he had jus passed. As he waited for Roy, his heart began to pound somewhere near his Adams Apple. They were so close…

_Click_

Ed jumped at the small noise but once he heard a slight snicker form behind him, he automatically knew who it was.

"Oh shut up," Ed muttered before Roy could make a single comment.

Roy opened the door further and let him in.

"Did you see any alarms this way?"

"Nope, but we should walk slowly just to be careful. Do you have the flashlight?"

"Yeah," Ed answered before he began rummaging into the bag and pulled out a small red flashlight.

"Okay, let's go."

They crept along the deadly quiet halls, occasionally lifting up the blanket to the alarms as they passed by. (2) After taking many wrong turns and ending in dead ends, they reached what appeared to be the main office. It was locked.

"Hand me the screw drivers. It'll just be easier if I take the door knob off all together. Hey, while I'm doing this, call Maes and tell him what's happening."

"Right."

_Ring…ri-_

"_Hello?"_

"Hey Maes, we're at the main office now."

"_Good. I had to move the van a little because I think I saw a cop come this way."_

"Well where are you now?"

"_I'm in the next parking lot over. I can move back when you're ready to come out-."_

"No. Just stay there. It'd look suspicious if a cop saw a van return to a school to pick someone up. Then they might get our plate number or something. Stay there, we'll meet you, alright?"

"_Right."_

"Well I got to go now."

"_Right, bye."_

"Bye."

Ed stood there and watched as Roy fiddled with each screw before he managed to wiggle the door knob out and open the door. As Ed made a move to run into the room, Roy held out an arm, stopping him.

"What was that for?!" Ed hissed.

"Do you not remember that there could be alarms in there idiot?! Now wait until I get the sheet up."

"Fine."

Step by slow, agonizing step the two moved across the room and down a small hallway until they reached the door that was adorned with the plague: Guidance counselor. This door too was locked. And again Ed had to wait, as his nerves surged through every vein in his body, for Roy to finish unscrewing each screw. Every small click that Roy made when he moved the screw against the door knob caused Ed's head to snap in another direction, annoying Roy.

"Can you stop that?" Roy growled.

"_I would if you could just hurry up_!"

"Well sorry Mister My-Girlfriend-Is-Better-At-Using-A-Screw-Driver-Than-Me, I'll try my best to hurry up," Roy whispered acidly.

"Oh, you're too kind," Ed growled back as he felt heat creep up into his cheeks.

A moment later, Roy managed to open the door and they walked into the room. Ed began to feel a sense of Déjà vu as Roy slowly broke into each file cabinet and searched for a file. But after what felt like hours to Ed, he found the file he had been dreaming about and saw the address that he had wanted to know for almost two weeks. Edward quickly copied the file into a note book while Roy went back to reinstall the door knobs he had unscrewed. Before he replaced the file, Ed flipped though it and felt an unstoppable flood of memories come to him as he stared into the face of his baby brother.

* * *

**(1) Go Mythbusters!**

**(2) I'm not quite sure how this works but I saw it on one of their episodes and I'm too lazy to go find how it does work. So if you're dieing to know, go look for yourself.**

**Ooooh, Ed knows where Al lives *evil sing-song voice* I wonder how many people want to kill me at this moment...well why don't you send me a review to tell me. :P**

**Thanks for reading!**

**-FSK**


	21. Reunion

**Happy Friday readers! **

**Once again, thank you to everyone who sent me a review last chapter-I enjoyed them very much. So, much to the demand of all my annoyed readers for last chapters cliffy, here is the next chapter!**

**Hope you love it!**

* * *

_"When do you have to leave Dad?" Ed asked a slightly worried tone._

_He really didn't want him to go, not when he had just gotten home after two months, but he couldn't whine like a little kid to his daddy. No, he was twelve years old and he was going to act like it dammit! He couldn't act like a little baby, not when he needed to be the 'man of the house', as his father had always put it. _

"_Oh I don't have to leave for at least another four more days Edward," Hoenhime said with a large smile. "We have plenty of time to do things together."_

"_Right," Ed muttered, slightly crestfallen._

_Four days. He would have four days with this man who had always tried with all of his heart to be a good father and then he'd be gone for a few months. Was that enough for Ed?_

_No. It wasn't. Nowhere near enough._

_But his father's job paid big money and came with plenty of useful health benefits and Edward wasn't going ruin it by mentioning how badly he missed having a dad sometimes. It always stung a little when he would hang out with a friend and their father would return home from work with promises of a baseball game the next day. Edward always tried to hide this small pang in his chest by telling himself repeatedly that his father was doing great work for not only the country, but the world and that all of these baseball-promising dads couldn't hold a candle to his father. But deep inside his heart, Ed knew that if he could chose over this life with a hard working scientist for a father, living in a beautiful house with enough money to pay for his and Al's college tuitions and more or a father who came home everyday, working a boring, desk job and being paid only so much that his mother had to work too and that they_ had_ to keep their grades up so that they could get a scholarship to a college because that was only way they could afford it…well Ed knew which one he would pick nine times out of ten and he knew that he wasn't the only one feeling that._

"_So did you have any ideas?" Hoenhime asked, breaking Ed out of his solemn thoughts._

"_No…"Ed lied. "Not right now. How about we just sit here and watch some T.V. until Al comes home? Then we can think of something to do together."_

_Al was at a friend's house at the moment and his mother was out at the store to pick up supplies for the fabulous dinner she had planned for tomorrow. They had known that their father would be arriving home for the weekend but what they didn't expect was for him to show up a day early. Ed was now relishing the time he had alone with his father; something that he hadn't had since age three when he started this job._

"_Alright but…I actually wanted to do something with just you."_

"_Just me?" Ed asked in awe._

"_Yes. And then I thought I would do something with just Al, then we could all do something and then maybe, something with your Mother…" At the last part of his sentence, Hoenhime's face blushed slightly, causing Ed to snigger slightly._

"_You mean a date." Ed giggled._

"_Uhh, well yes," Hoenhime while he struggled to regain his composure. "But what would you like to do? Anything you'd like."_

_Ed's young heart seemed to skip a beat at the prospects that were laid in front of him. He could do anything, anything he had ever wanted to do with his father._

"_Well how much time do we have?" Ed asked excitedly._

"_Since I'm home for four days, I think everyone can have a special day each day I'm home. So how about the rest of today?"_

"_But, but what about you?" Edward asked, suddenly feeling unusually spoiled. Yes his family was practically rolling in money but both his mother and father always made sure it never went to his head. "You must be really tired and, and, you must want to relax! I don't want to make all your time playing."_

"_Edward," he said with his small smile again, "I'm happy as long as I'm with you two boys and your mother. Now, what do you want to do today, we have the entire day."_

"_Well…" Ed jumped off of the couch and ran as fast as he could to his room._

_After digging around under his bed, Ed pulled out something that had been bugging him for the passed four months. It was a very large model rocket that you could launch off in your back yard. Ed had gotten it for his birthday but after Trisha had reminded him that it was not made to be played with without adult supervision and that he knew that his mother wasn't the kind of person who would appreciate the marriage of science and simple technology, Ed stored it under his bed, hoping that when his father finally came home, he'd have the time to play with it._

"_This," Ed said once he had returned back to the living room, holding out the box like it was some majestic prize, "I want to do this. I already read all of the directions and everything we need is inside and…" Ed began to trail off as he felt a small wave of embarrassment wash over him._

_His father was smiling again at him. More importantly, he was laughing. _Laughing,_ at him. Ed stared back down at the cardboard and plastic box began to feel very foolish. _

"_Well if that's what you want to do sport," Hoenhime said as he got up and walked over to him before he placed a large hand on top of Ed's small head and began to ruffle his shaggy locks, "that's what we'll do."_

"_R-really?"_

"_Of course. Did you want to do anything else after wards? We could go see a movie, go to the park, anything."_

"_Uh, umm…" Ed muttered as he struggled for the words that he wished to express how grateful he was of this chance at some alone time, but they simple could not come out. Instead, he stood there for a minute, looking like a goldfish, his embarrassment and foolishness flooding back to him once he realize what he must look like._

"_Well, let's go to the back yard and set this up," Hoenhime said._

"_Right."_

_And so Ed moved his feet, that felt like they weighed a ton each, and followed his father to his large and beautiful back yard._

* * *

_"So how's that one friend of yours? Umm…Kyle?" Hoenhime asked as he watched another base ball wiz passed him._

"_Kevin," Ed corrected him. "And he's fine. I haven't gotten a chance to talk to him very much anymore since I got put into the advanced placement classes and he's going to him Mom's for a few weeks this summer."_

"_Oh, right. Good hit Edward!"_

"_Thanks."_

_Once they had launched their rocket, they went out to a fast food joint and got something to eat. Now they were hitting baseballs at the nearby batting cage. Well, by 'they' it really meant Ed; Hoenhime wasn't the best when it came to sports. This was yet another thing that clashed with Ed's wish of a father to play sports with, but he would take what he could get._

"_So what were you doing all the way down in Florida Dad? I thought your lab worked directly out of D.C."_

"_Well we do, most of the time. But sometimes they need to send us out to do thing at other labs across the country."_

"_Like what?" Ed asked, hoping to sound innocent._

"_Never you mind," he said, earning a small sigh from Ed._

"_You sure you don't want to hit a few?" Ed asked once all of the balls had been shot, even though he knew the answer already._

"_Um, no," he sounded slightly nervous, "would you like to hit some more?"_

"_Nah, I'm good."_

_Ed pulled off his helmet before walking out of the cage, plopping down right next to his father, and digging into one of his burgers. _

"_You're hair is getting longer," Hoenhime muttered as he stared at his son._

"_Hmm?" Ed asked, who didn't seem to hear him over the munching of his hamburger and the metal clangs of bats on base balls._

"_I said your hair is getting longer. Were you planning on growing it out?"_

"_Hmm…I don't know," Ed mumbled as he twisted a lock of his shaggy gold hair. "I've been meaning to get it cut but I've just been busy. But people keep saying that I should grow it out more and see how it looks."_

"_Who says that?"_

"_Mom mostly. She says that long hair would look good on me because it looks great on you and I look just like you when you were my age."_

"_Hmm…well I do think I was a _little _taller than you," Hoenhime said with a smirk while he raised his hand to a spot about an inch over Ed's head._

"_Hey! I'm _not_ short! I'm still growing! Guys keep growing until their twenties!"_

"_Well let's hope so," Hoenhime laughed, earning a small growl from Ed. "But do you have anything else you want to do?"_

"_No, not now," Ed answered with a small but extremely happy smile. "We should get home. Mom and Al probably really want to see you."_

"_Alright. Let's go."_

* * *

_It was Wednesday morning. Edward could hear the small noises of his mother and father as she helped him prepare to leave again along with the small pitter-patter of rain on the windows. Ed woke up, almost instinctively, at five o'clock; the same time that he knew his father would be getting up. He would have bet his entire college fund that Al was wide awake in the next room. They were both waiting for the right moment to get up from their beds and feign like they had just been woken up. Ed waited another ten minutes before he felt it safe to go and say goodbye._

"_Oh! Morning brother," Al whispered as their doors opened simultaneously on the opposite sides of the hall._

"_Shh…" Ed whispered before he started to creep down the hall, Al following in his footsteps._

_Ed wanted to sneak a chance at hearing were and why his father was going next. He hadn't been able to anything through his bedroom walls so he was hoping, just maybe that they would be able to hear-._

"_What do you two think you're doing?"_

_Dammit._

_Trisha was looking at them from where she sat at the kitchen table, fully dressed and wide awake. Ed and Al exchanged guilty glances before they both got up from where they were and walked over to her._

"_Nothing," Ed answered with a pout._

_She said nothing but gave an all-knowing smirk. Hoenhime walked into the room, not appearing the slightest bit surprised that his sleep-loving sons were wide awake this early in the morning._

"_Morning boys."_

"_Morning Dad," Ed and Al said together._

"_Are you going to join me and your mother to the air port?"_

"_What?"_

"_Really?"_

_They had never been allowed to join them to in going to the airport to say goodbye. It had always been a huge hug at the door and then they'd watched sadly as the car disappeared around the corner._

"_Well we were talking it over and decided to let you come along."_

"_If you two think you can behave that is," Trisha said while giving them an unusually stern look._

"_We promise!"_

"_No pranks?"_

"_Nope."_

"_No running around like little monkey's?"_

"_Ern-we'll try not to."_

"_Good. Go get dressed and be ready in fifteen minutes."_

"_Okay!"_

* * *

_He didn't want to say goodbye. He really, truly didn't. And after saying goodbye at the airport, after feeling close to tears, Ed was almost sure he wouldn't want to go to the airport again. Al was distracted enough by all of the commotion and security to not seem too sad but Ed, who had learned to turn it all into white noise, could only dwell on the number of minutes that he had left with his father._

"_You wanna play a video game Ed?" Al asked as he held up a number of game boxes._

"_Nah, I'm good. I was going to go lay down since we got up so early."_

"_Oh, okay then," Al muttered, sounding slightly disappointed._

"_Bye," Ed muttered before he turned to leave for his room._

_Once in the room, Ed stared out the rain-washed window and sighed. He missed him terribly already. That was the problem with the visits; they made it just that much harder to say goodbye when he had to leave again._

_A crash of lightning illuminated the dark and dank outsides. There was another crash of lightning, illuminating something a little outside Ed's window. Ed got up from his bed and stared at the spot were he swore he had seen something. He waited until the next crash of lightning to see if it would illuminate again but when another came, whatever had been there was gone. Muttering to himself, Ed fell back onto his bed, not realizing that it would not only be months, but years before he would ever see his father again..._

* * *

"Ed…"

_I had a dad…_

"_Ed_!"

_And a mom…we were _happy_…_

"_Edward-fucking-Elric_!" Roy hissed.

Ed snapped out of his state of mind to look up at a completely pissed off yet worried Roy. It took him a moment to realize where and why he was there.

"Huh?" was all Ed's soggy brain could come up with.

"'Huh' my ass! Get up! We have to leave _now_!"

"Wha…" Ed muttered as he was forcibly pulled from the ground and almost slammed into the nearest window.

"Climb out the damn window before another freakin' cop shows up to throw our asses in jail or I'll do it for you!"

Suddenly, everything clicked and Ed realized that he was in fact in a school that he had just broken into in the dead of night and he remembered that Maes wanted them out of the school five minutes ago.

And so the two teens ran as fast as their legs would take them before they jumped inside of the van and before the door was even closed, they were belting down the street.

Everything was a blur to Ed now. In his hands, he held his brother's address and the only thing that was keeping him from making Maes turn around, was the fact that Ed wasn't sure that his legs would have been able to hold him if he saw Al at that moment.

* * *

His heart felt like it was beating against his Adam's apple again as he stared at the house in front of him. It was a two story building with a large front yard. In the driveway was a van similar to the one they had driven here in, except it looked much more taken care of.

Nope, he couldn't do this…Ed now wished he hadn't insisted that his friends leave after dropping him off.

_Wait! I hear voices._

Voices from inside spilled outside from the open living room window. One of them sounded like it could belong to a teenaged boy. The other…he wasn't sure.

"You got to do this," Ed said to himself before he moved a heavy foot forwards.

Once at the front door, Ed lifted his hand to knock and then froze. What was he going to say? What was he going to do? What would Al do? And why oh why couldn't he just man up, knock his hand against the door, and say 'Hi, I'm Edward you're long, lost brother. May I come in?' But then, the door knob began to turn.

_Oh God, oh God! Abort! Abort mission!_

Ed looked to his side and saw a large bush that was planted there. He could hop over the side and hide in the bush until who ever was at the doorway as gone but-no. He wasn't going to act like a little baby about this! He would just have to-.

"Yes?"

Ed turned and saw that standing in the doorway, or more like standing half-way in the door frame due to his shear girth, was the largest man he had ever see; he greatly resembled a mountain bear just woke up from a nap.

_Ho-ly Shiiiiiit._

"Who is it?" a teenaged voice asked from behind.

_Oh no…_

"Uh," Ed opened his mouth to speak but nothing but air came out.

"Hello," the boy said brightly with a warm smile after he had squeezed passed the man's large midsection.

_Oh God…_

"Were you…" the boy began to lose his train of thought as he looked up and down Ed's face and torso, "…looking…for…"

Al's eyes traveled to the metal hand and arm that was poking out of his shirt sleeve and gasped quietly. He reached out for his right arm and lifted it up; the other man continued to stand there, never showing any emotion on his large face. Al turned his head up, still holding onto Ed's arm, and looked straight into Ed's gold eyes with his large golden-brown ones.

"Brother…?"

* * *

**OH! MAJOR CLIFF HANGER! WHO WANTS TO KILL ME?!**

**...but umm, yeah. I just have to say that I LOVED writing this chapter so much. Have I ever mention how much of a Hoenhime fangirl I am? Because I love that guy; he's so badassand adorable at the same time! (adorable because of how much he loves his familyand how adorably awkward he is when he's with them *fangirl squeal*)**

**Oh, and did you notice that I slipped one of Al's foster parents in at the end? _Guess who_...*sing-song voice***

**Well, I'm going out of town for awesome-ness this weekend and when I come back Sunday, I'm expecting a inbox filled with reviews sent by pissed-off readers! So click on that button down there and bitch at me like I know you want to!**

**-FSK**


	22. Meet the Foster Parents

**Hello to all of my beloved readers! Thank you for the new record of 27 reviews last chapter!**

**But, I'll keep this short since I know everyone's dieing to read this after last chapters evil cliff hanger. *evil grin***

**So, enjoy Ed and Al finally being together again!^^**

* * *

"Brother…?" Al whispered as he looked into Ed's eyes.

Ed wanted to say that, yes it was him along with many other things that he was never quite sure he could put into words. He opened his mouth to speak but found him unable to even stutter a respond for his mouth and throat had bone dry within the very second. After a small wheeze of air (a failed attempt at speech) Ed surrendered to his throat and nodded slowly.

He did not expect what had happened next.

"_Oh Brother!"_

Al threw his arms around Ed's neck, practically strangling him in the process, and pulled Ed into a neck-snapping hug. Ed could tell by Al's quivering shoulders that he was very close to breaking down. He glanced into the doorway, expecting to see the bear-like man, but found that he had left. This Ed was very grateful for because he knew that if he didn't want to share this moment with his closest friends, he wouldn't want to share it with a man who looked as if he was about to eat him any moment now.

Ed tried to think of something to do to comfort his poor little brother, who appeared to be moments away from a compete mental break down. As Ed opened his mouth to speak, even though he wasn't sure what he would say, Al spoke up in a quivering, soft voice.

"Is…is it _really _you Edward?"

"Y-yeah," Ed muttered in an unnaturally weak voice.

"H-how did you…when d-did you…I mean…" Al stuttered while he attempted to keep his composure.

"It's a long story…"

"And, and your _arm,_" Al moaned in anguish into Ed's shaking shoulder. "W-what _happened_ to your _arm_?"

"…that's something we should also discuss later," Ed muttered after a moment, realizing it was best to not mention that he was also missing most of his left leg too.

"Okay…" Al mumbled with a small nod before he finally let go of Ed.

The two stared at each other. Ed was pleased to see that Al was not taller than him but he was also annoyed that they were the same height. Al's hair was a shade darker than his own, his eyes as well. Another thing that pleased Ed was that Al appeared to be in perfect health; not much more than a few scratches here and there that happened when you're a teenaged boy. It appeared that Al had been lucky in escaping the accident relatively unscathed.

"Should we…do you want to come inside?"

"Yeah, sure."

Al opened up the door and went inside, Ed followed quickly behind. The house appeared to be rather well furnished and gave off a very comfy atmosphere. Al let Ed stare around for a moment before he grabbed onto his left wrist and began pulling him through a tour of the house.

"This is the living room," Al said happily while he continued to tug Ed throughout the house.

Ed would have stopped Al from leading him around like a dog on a lease until he realized that Al's tight grip probably had nothing to do with making sure that Ed didn't get lost…so Ed continued with Al and let him talk and talk to his hearts content.

"And this is our kitchen and I usually sit here by this big window except for when it starts to get cold out. During the last winter it dropped to almost 40 degrees!"

At this Ed could not but let out a snort. Clearly, this kid did not realize what the weather could be just a few states up. Al turned around and gave him a puzzling look.

"What?"

"Well it's just that…40 degrees isn't very cold now is it?"

"It is when you've been used to 80 degree weather for four years," Al said defensively.

"I guess…"

"Let's go look at the up stairs now! But-we have to be quiet," Al added in a whisper, as if it had been Ed who was just shouting excitedly moments ago, "Because Izumi's not feeling well today."

"Izumi?"

"Yeah, she's my foster mom."

"Oh…so that big guy at the front door was-,"

"Her husband: Sig. I know he looks super scary, but really he's a nice guy. Same with Izumi."

"That's good," Ed mumbled as he stared at the carpeting. As much as he was glad to hear that his brother lived in a good home, he had hopped, very slimly, that Al might be living with a family member that he did not know of.

"Yup!" Al exclaimed, oblivious to Ed's thinking. "I think we could go and say hi!"

With that, Al gave Ed's arm a particularly hard tug as Al started up the steps. Ed tried to keep up with Al but found that all of his energy was put towards not falling on his face as he repeatedly tripped over the annoying carpeted stairs.

"Um A-al?"

"Yes?"

"Um…I don't think this is the kind thing we can just stopped and say 'hi' about," Ed said as he tried to pull out of Al's grip.

"What'cha mean?"

"I mean that showing your foster parents your long lost brother they didn't know about, when he just popped up on your doorstep, and then leaving isn't the kind of thing most guardians would like."

"'Didn't know about'? Of course they know about you."

"Huh?"

"They know about you because I told them about you," Al said quietly while his eyes softened. "Why wouldn't I tell them about you?"

"You mean that you remembered me?"

"Yes of course-wait. Did you not remember me?"

"Well I-."

"_Alphonse?_" asked a female voice from another room down the hall.

"Yeah?" Al asked, sounding slightly apprehensive.

"Can you come in here for a moment?"

"Um, yeah! You stay here until I-."

"Oh, and bring your little friend with you," she added, causing Ed to twitch when the word 'little' was thrown his way.

Al gave Ed a small look before he motioned for Ed to follow Ed further down the hallway. Finally, they stopped at the last door of the hall; Al reached up and gave a tentative knock.

"Yes, come in Alphonse."

Al opened the door before he slowly stuck his head into the doorway.

"W-what is it Izumi?"

"I said _come in_. Not to just stand in the doorway."

"Right."

Ed stepped slowly behind Al into the large room. Ed noticed immediately that the large, bear-like man was there; his face just as emotionless as it was before. He then noticed a woman who was lying in a large bed. She did indeed look as if she was recovering from some illness, with her skin nearly void of color except for the slight flush of her cheeks. The women had long, dark hair that was put into several small braids and kind, but undeniably sharp dark eyes.

"So this is Edward, Alphonse?"

"How did you…" Ed began but trailed off when she began to laugh quietly.

"How could I _not _know?" Izumi said with a small smirk. "Alphonse here showed me a picture of you and even if I didn't know what you looked like, from what Sig told me about before, well, I'm sure I could have put two and two together Edward."

"Alright…" Ed said, feeling confused. "But then who the heck are you?"

"Me? Oh, I'm just a house wife," Izumi said with a not-so-convincing smile.

"Okay…but _who _are you?"

"Alphonse I thought you said your brother was intelligent," Izumi said while she gave Ed an odd look. "Obviously we're Alphonse' guardians."

"Well I know that!" Ed huffed in outrage as he felt heat rise into his checks. "What I want to know is what your names are-since you already know mine!"

"I'm Izumi Curtis. And this big, handsome guy is my husband-Sig Curtis."

Sig did not give them any inclination that he had just been introduced. Instead, he turned to his wife, bent down, and whispered something into her ear that caused Izumi to smile softly again.

"Oh yes I'm alright sweetie. I'll take my medicine in a few more minutes and then I'll call him later."

Sig gave her a small nod before standing straight up again. Ed and Al waited for one of them (well, more like Izumi) to talk but when neither of them did, the brothers began to back up towards the door.

"Where do you two think you're going?"

"Um…"

"Well."

"I wasn't finished talking to you two," Izumi snapped. "So Edward, did you travel across the country all by yourself?"

"Uh, no," Ed muttered awkwardly. "I came with some of my friends. We're staying at a local motel."

"Hmm…would you like to stay here for a while?"

"What?" Ed asked while Al made a noise of excitement that Ed felt should only come out of a girl's mouth.

"Stay here. With your brother so we can get to know you better. I have to say, four years is a lot of time to catch up. So what do you say?"

Ed never answered. He couldn't because as he opened his mouth to gratefully accept, Al gripped onto his arm again and pulled him out of the room and down the hall while yelling, "Thanks Izumi! We'll try to not be too much of a bother!"

* * *

"Uh Al?"

"What is it brother?"

The two sat on a pile of comforters and pillows on Al's bedroom floor. They had a spare bedroom for Ed to sleep in but for now, Al seemed to not want Ed out of his sight. They had just ordered a pizza and picked out a wide selection of movies to watch for the remainder of the day; Al said that they would talk tomorrow.

"Could I go and call my friends? Just to tell them that I'm gonna be staying here tonight."

"Oh…sure. Um, I'll go and bring up some sodas, okay?" Al said as he got up from his spot on the floor. "What kind do you like? We have everything: Coke, Cherry Coke, Pepsi, Rootbeer, Dr. Pepper, Sprite…"

"Cherry Coke's (1) fine Al."

"Okay!"

Ed pulled out his cell phone from his pocket, went to his phonebook, and let it stop on Winry's number. What would he say to her? Ed clicked onto the call button.

_Ring…Ring…_

"_Hello?"_

"Hey Win."

"_So um…how's everything going?"_

Ed suppressed a smile while listened to the forced causal tone in her voice. He could imagine them all staring at their phones for the passed hour, just waiting for him to call or text one of them. Due to the small 'shh' noises going off on the other line, Ed could only assume that he was on speaker phone.

"Fine. We're both fine."

"_That's good."_

"But, his foster Mom invited me to stay for a while, so I'm staying over for tonight."

"_Oh, okay! That's great! Um…is his Foster Mom nice?"_

"She's alright. A little tough looking but I can tell she's nice. Her husband's just this big bear that doesn't say anything though…"

"_Well, I'll let you to get to catching up alright?"_

"Yeah. Maybe I can introduce you to him tomorrow."

"_But you two must have so much catching up to do-."_

"Winry, it's alright. I'm sure he's dieing to see my friends. But I got to go. We're watching a bunch of movies and I think the pizza guy just got here."

"_Okay. Have fun."_

"Bye."

"_Bye."_

* * *

**(1) I love me some Cherry Coke! :P**

**Sorry it's a tad bit short but I wanted to leave it here. ****Next chapter, anticipate some brotherly love and possibly an ass-kicking from Izumi.**

**Thanks for reading and I hope you get a chance to send me a review!**

**-FSK**


	23. Nightly Conversations

**Hi everyone! I'm back!**

**So I know some of you were annoyed with the shortness of last chapter so I hope this one is better. (over 2,000 words) Without further adieu, I now present a lovely, brother-love filled chapter.**

**Enjoy!**

* * *

"Who was that?"

Ed looked up and saw that Al had returned, in his arms was the pizza's they had ordered and balanced on top of it were several soft drinks. Ed slid his phone back into his pocket before he answered.

"Winry-my friend."

"Uh, huh. Sounded more to me like your _girlfriend_ by the way your face got this big sappy expression on your face."

"What? I did _not_ get a sappy expression on my face!"

"How would you know? Did you happen to have a mirror in front of you?"

"Ugh! I just know that I didn't do that!"

"Hey Ed, you know that by overreacting like this, it's only confirming what I said before," Al said with a broad smile.

Edward opened his mouth to retort but found him once again unable to find the right words to articulate what he wanted to say. Instead, he let his back fall against the bed frame, crossed his arms firmly against his chest, and tried his best to stop the heat from creping up into his cheeks. This, like any respectable brother, laughed whole-heartily at.

"Oh shut up Al!" Ed yelled, his resolve shattering.

"You like her!"

"Shut up!" Ed yelled, his voice cracking into a high octave, before he grabbed onto the nearest thing within reach, a pillow, and chucked it at Al's face.

"Hey!"

Before they knew what was happening, the two brother's were having one of the most intense pillow fights ever known to man and Ed couldn't help but get an intense déjà vu feeling as he laughed and joked and threw pillows at his little brother.

_SLAM!_

"What's going on in here?"

Ed and Al both looked up and saw that in the doorway stood Izumi. In Ed's opinion, she didn't look sick at all. Not with her dark eyes stern and suspicious and the loss of fatigue in her body stance.

"We, we were just fooling around Izumi!" Al answered earnestly.

"…Well keep it down!" she barked.

"Yes ma'am," Ed and Al said together.

"Good. Because even if I am feeling better-."

…blood. Ed stared in alarm as Izumi suddenly began coughing up a great deal of blood. Panicking, Ed sprung up and helped the women onto Al's bed to sit.

"We have to get you to a doctor!" Ed yelled.

"…'m fine…" Izumi coughed.

"_Fine_? Coughing up blood is _not _fine!"

"Brother, relax," Al said, standing behind Ed and placing a hand on his shoulder.

"How am I supposed to-?"

"She's fine. _Really!_" Al said earnestly when Ed looked skeptical. "Izumi's been sick like this for some time now. She takes medication for it and it's usually kept under pretty good control. But every now and again-when she gets just a bit too busy-she'll get sick."

"Oh…"Ed said, quit relived but intrigued; what kind of sickness did she have?

"Look at the mess we made," Al muttered as he attempted to straighten the piles of blankets and pillows that were now strewn across the room.

"So, what movie do you want to watch?" Ed asked while he perused Al's rather impressive movie collection.

He seemed to have all of the movies that he and his own friends watched over: The Hangover, Blades of Glory, Star Trek, Stay Alive, Hot Fuzz, Shaun of the Dead, House of Wax, Inglorious Basterds, Pineapple Express, Zombie Land… (1)

After staring at the many different movies and weighing them in both of his hands, Ed picked one. He couldn't help but feel a little weird when he stared down at the plastic covering when he thought of what had happened that night-a night that felt to be years old now-and had watched this particular movie.

"Let's watch this one."

"Star Trek? I love that movie. It's _so_ sick!"

Al bent over his DVD player, opened the disk and put it in the player, and then hit play…

* * *

"So Brother…" Al began several hours later.

They had watched a few more movies after Star Trek and goofed around plenty. Now, as the sun was just about to rise of the hills, the two brothers collapsed onto the floor and began falling into sleep when Al spoke up.

"Yeah Al?"

"What's it like? You know, where you live? Who takes care of you?"

It felt as if a large stone had just dropped into his stomach. What should he do? Should he _lie_ to his brother? No…he'd just _bend _the truth-just for now. He wouldn't be keeping Al in the dark forever.

"Well…I live in a small foster home. I actually have three younger kids there with me."

"Really?"

"Yeah. Terry's 13, Sammy's 12, and Kyle's only seven. You want to see a picture of them?"

"Sure."

Ed dug for his bag for a moment before he pulled out his cell phone and opened up his photo collection. He then selected a picture he had taken of all four of them looking happy and content on the front porch as they ate ice cream last summer.

"They're all like my little siblings and I'm just like their big brother."

Al stared at the phone in his hands for a minute; a small frown was playing on his lips that Ed couldn't quite understand. What was with the odd emotions that Ed could see in Al's eyes? Was he…_jealous?_

"Then they must be some pretty lucky little kids," Al mumbled, it appeared to be more to himself. Ed couldn't help but smile sadly at how _un_lucky those kids actually were. "Who takes care off you and the other kids then?"

"Uh, um…this guy named Kimblee. He, well, isn't all that nice of a person actually. We end up having to take care of each other."

"Oh. I'm sorry," Al said quietly.

"But, um, how's it here? Do you go to the ocean a lot?"

"I've only gone to the Atlantic a few times. We go to the Gulf about once a summer though. It's really warm and nice there."

"That's good," Ed muttered while he struggled for something more to talk about. "I've never been to the ocean before-at least, I don't remember me ever going to one."

Al turned and gave him another strange look.

"Why don't you remember things? You mentioned that…that you didn't remember things. And why don't you have an arm and a _leg_?"

"…I don't know why I don't remember things. I guess everything has to do with the accident. Do you remember anything about the accident Al?"

"Not really," Al answered, causing a small bit of Ed to be let down. "All I remember is that it was a fire. I was sent to a local hospital for minor injuries and then sent into the foster care system. I was originally meant to be placed into the adoption agency but I kept saying that I had a brother and I didn't want to be adopted, so in the end they placed me into this foster home. I think they felt sorry for me because well, they never found any record of you. Not for years that is."

"They probably couldn't find any record of me because for about a month I was laying in a hospital bed with no clue as to whom I was," Ed answered quietly. "I started to slowly remember my name. I remember the nursing staff thought I had _made up_ the name when I told them all that was my name. But once I had recovered, I was placed into a foster system straight away."

"And where did you get your arm and leg?" Al asked as he slowly brushed his fingers up and down the metal plate on Ed's right arm.

"My neighbor. Winry," Ed added with a smile. "Her and her family comes from a long line of mechanics and Doctors and so they created this type of prosthetics that they thought I should use."

"It looks like it hurt," Al said as he eyed a nasty scar on his shoulder.

Ed was about to lie and say that no; it wasn't _that_ bad but decided against it when he said, "that's an understatement."

"Do you have a picture of Winry?" Al asked suddenly, making Ed blush slightly.

"Yeah, I'll show you one."

Ed skipped through his photos until he landed on an expectable picture of her. It was of her from the homecoming football game this past school year. She had a school bandana tied around her forehead, on her cheeks were paint smears of their school colors, and she wore the old football jersey that Ed had stolen from the middle school after his one month stint of Junior Varsity Football. She looked beautiful to Ed, but he was defiantly not going to tell Al his opinion.

"She's pretty," Al said with a sincere smile. "I can see why you like her."

"I don't-!"

"Enough bull Ed," Al cut Ed off, surprising Ed. "Any idiot can tell that you like her! I've only seen you for a few hours and I can totally tell you have feelings for her, and she most likely does for you too."

Ed remained silent. What was he supposed to say? That Al was seeing things? That he did not in-fact hold any sort of romantic feelings towards Winry? No, Ed knew it would be useless to tried and say a blatant lie like that, but that didn't mean that he was going to admit this to Al right now.

"So what are your friends like?" Al asked after a rather long and awkward pause.

"…weird."

"How many did you bring with you?"

"I brought my six best friends."

"You have _six_ best friends?" Al asked in awe. "I only have two, but then I have a bunch of 'just friend' friends."

"Hmm, I don't think I have any friends like that."

"What are all of their names? What are they like?"

"Well there's Winry, she can get pretty scary when she's pissed but she's usually nice. And then there's Roy, he can be a huge, arrogant asshole most of the time but he's been known to actually show some compassion." This made Al laugh. "Jean isn't exactly the brightest bulb in the pack most of the time but I know he has_ some _intelligence…somewhere."

As Ed went through each of his friends, he brought up a picture of them on his cell phone to show Al. Once Ed had finished describing each of his best and only friends, Al asked if he could meet them later today. Ed said probably, since they most likely didn't have any plans for the rest of their trip here.

"What about you Al?" Ed asked. "What about your friends? What are they like?"

"There's Russell and Fletcher Tringham. They're brothers, both a year in difference. Russ is your age and Fletcher is mine. Here I'll show you a picture!"

Al quickly thrust his phone under Ed's nose after a second of scrambling. In front of his eyes was a picture of two blond-haired boys with sharp light blue eyes. One had the same gentle air about him that Al had and the other seemed to radiate cockiness, even in picture form.

"That ones Russ," Al said point to the cocky looking one. "Oh! I almost forgot. There's also Rose."

"Rose?" Ed asked with a playful smirk on his face. "As in a _girl_?"

"Yes a girl but no to what you're thinking. She's totally into other guys."

"Yeah but that doesn't mean _you_ don't like _her_."

"As if! Not to be mean but she's…" Al paused as he struggled to find a way to phrase it politely but when he couldn't he ended up finishing with, "a bit of a slut really. I haven't seen her hold a relationship that lasted more than a week."

Ed couldn't help but let out a laugh as he thought of Roy a while ago and how he had insisted that his record relationship had been a month long, as if that was a good lengthed relationship.

"What is it?"

"That just reminded me of my friend Roy."

"I can't wait to meet him!" Al exclaimed as he flopped back down onto his back.

"And I'm sure he can't wait until he's met you too."

"Then once I meet your friends, I can call up Russ and Fletch and Rose and we can all hang out! It'll be so much fun!"

"Heh, I'm sure it will be Al."

* * *

Izumi listened from the floor below to the two boys carry on as if it was not five in the morning. But she wouldn't complain because she was happy none-the-less that Alphonse had finally reunited with his brother Edward. He seemed just as nice as Al described but she still hoped to learn more about the boy. But that, of course, could and would wait until a later time because right now, she had more important things to do. Izumi walked over to the living room, sat down on the couch, and picked up the near-by house phone before she dialed a number. Izumi hoped that the person would pick up even though the hour of the day indicated otherwise.

_Ring…ring…ring…ring…_

_"Hello?"_

"Hello, it's Izumi," she said with a small smile before she continued. "I would just like you to know that he's here and I think you should stop by soon before he's gone."

Before the person on the other line could say anymore, Izumi hung up the phone with a bust of satisfaction; she just hoped her plan would work out.

* * *

**(1) *copy and paste favorite movie list from profile***

**Sneaky Izumi...**

**So, next chapter we shall be introduced to Russel, Fletcher, and Rose. And sorry in advance to people who like Rose because, well...I'll basically be portraying her as a slut in this story. Nothing against her but I already used the other female characters.**

**Please send a review my way!**

**-FSK**


	24. Car Accidents and Competition

**'Sup everyone! Since my mom let me skip today, I was able to finish most of the chapter so that I could update this longer chapter early! Just a present to all my dear readers! **

**One thing I loved while reading your reviews was seeing how almost everyone wrote that Rose was a slut or that they didn't like her. It was rather funny but I'm also glad I won't be stepping on anyone's toes when I have her acting like an attention seeking, boyfriend stealing, bitch-face.**

**So, please enjoy!**

* * *

"Hey Winry?"

"_Ed! How's everything going?"_

Edward sat in the passenger seat of Al's old Honda Civic while he waited for his brother to enter the car. The two were on their way to the Motel were Ed's friends had been staying at. He couldn't help but feel a little nervous; this was an important meeting after all. Finally, Ed saw Al bounding happily from the front steps of his house and into the car.

"Hey Ed!" Al exclaimed as he buckled himself in. "Ready to go?"

"_Oh my God! Is that _him_? Is that _Al _next to you?"_ Winry squealed into her cell phone.

"Um, yeah Win," Ed said while he tried to ignore the faces Al was making at him as he talked on the phone with Winry. "But uh, is it alright if we stop by the motel? Al wants to meet you guys."

"Is it alright_? Of course if it! Why wouldn't it be?"_

"Well I guess I was just asking more because it's not even noon and I wasn't sure if you guys would be-I don't know-trashed in your underwear."

"Who's trashed in their underwear?" Al asked in slight alarm as he put the key into the ignition.

"No one Al," Ed said as he stared at his brother with a smile on his face before he refocused on his other conversation. "So it's alright if we come by?"

"_Oh yeah! Let me just get the other awake. But we should all be ready in a bit."_

"Good. Well then I'll see you soon Winry."

"_Bye!"_

"Bye."

Edward stowed his phone into is pants pocket before he buckled himself and turned to look at Al who was give him an almost mocking smile.

"What?"

"Nothin'," Al said before he backed out, or more accurately floored, out of the driveway and began speeding down the side street as if it were a race track.

"Um, Al?" Ed said as he dug his fingernails into an arm rest.

"What is it Brother?"

"Uh don't you think you're going a little _fast_?"

"Me?" Al asked, continuing to stare at Ed.

"_Yeah!_" Ed exclaimed as he saw the speedometer quickly inch towards 45 miles an hour. "And can you keep your eyes on the road?"

"Oh, right, Brother," Al sighed exasperatedly. "But I don't think I'm going _that_ fast. You're overreacting!"

"_Alphonse! Look out!_" Ed shrieked as a Kamikaze squirrel streaked across their path.

"I got it, I got it!" Al yelled as he squealed around the small rodent and almost went crashing into another car in the process.

"Al, you _do_ have your licenses, right?"

"Learners Permit!" Al bellowed cheerfully. "Same thing really."

"Great…" Ed muttered as he sunk further into his seat and mentally promising himself to get a Learners Permit the second he could.

* * *

"Now let me just go and tell them that we're here, okay?"

"It's alright brother; you don't have to act so nervous!"

Ed gave him a parting smile before he got out of the car and began climbing up the motel steps and over to the motel room that he knew his friends were staying at. He let out a small, nervous sigh before he lifted is hand to knock on the door. As he moved to hit the door, it flew open, nearly smashing Ed in the nose in the process.

"Hey Ed!"

It was Jean who had opened up the door. He wore an expression similar to one on a child's face who believed Santa was just on the floor below him, setting out gifts. It was truly comical.

"Where's your brother?"

"He just down in the car down there," Ed said as he motioned over his shoulder. "I just didn't want to chance at scaring him for life in case you guys weren't decent."

"Ed!"

Ed peaked around and Maes and Sheska sitting on one of the beds; both fully dressed and awake. Roy was sitting at the small table, apparently mid-conversation with Riza, who was sitting across from him. Winry stood in the doorway of the bathroom. She looked slightly hesitant but smiled at him none-the-less.

"So is everyone ready?" Ed asked.

"Yeah!"

"Let's go now!"

"Whoa, whoa," Ed said while he held up his hands in an attempt to fend off his excited friends. "Don't scare the poor kid! I was going to bring him up here, alright?"

"Fine…"

"Good. Just stay right here and don't freak him out when he gets here."

Ed let the door close behind him before he turned and walked back to the car. Al opened the car door as Ed approached it, looking almost adorably excited.

"So what's up? Are they ready?"

"Yeah, we can go up now," Ed said with a smile.

"Awesome!"

Al jumped out of his car, slammed the door behind him, and took off up the stairs before Ed had even realized what had happened.

"AL!" Ed yelled once he realized what had happened.

"What?" Al asked once he had reached the top of the stairs.

"Slow down will ya?"

"Sorry Brother, I'm just so excited!"

"Well can your excitement be a _little_ slower?" Ed asked once he had caught up with Al.

Together, the two brothers quietly walked the last few yards to the motel room. Ed gave Al a nervous grin before he knocked once more on the door and waited for the door to fly open.

_SMACK!_

This time, Jean's over-excited door-opening skills hit Ed straight on the nose, causing his eyes to water and blood to drip out of his nose. Al quickly lost interest in the other blond teen and turned to check on his older brother.

"_Jean you fucking idiot!"_ Ed cursed as he pinched his nose in an attempt to stop the blood flow.

"Sorry! I didn't mean to dude! I-!"

"Oh just shut the Hell up Jean," Ed mumbled thickly while wiping his nose on his sleeve before he turned to Al and said in a bitter tone "Al, this is the almighty idiot Jean Havoc."

"Um, hi Jean."

"Heya Al!"

"Come on, let's get inside," Ed muttered as Jean moved out of the way.

The room was awfully quiet as everyone stared at one another. Al smiled shyly at everyone while everyone else gave nervous, half-hearted smile and waves in return. Finally, Maes broke the ice.

"Hey Al! I'm Maes Hughes!" he exclaimed while he over enthusiastically wrung Al's hand.

"Hi!"

"Wanna see something Al?" Maes asked, sounding as if he was struggling to contain something inside of him.

"Uh, sure."

"Ta-Dah!" Maes exclaimed as he pulled out his cell phone and shoved it into Al's face. Ed let out an exasperated noise once he realized what the picture was. "It's my darling girlfriend Gracia! Isn't she just a beauty?"

"Maes," Roy growled from behind him. "Gracia is _not _your girlfriend."

"Not _yet_! If it wasn't for this whole fiasco, I'm sure I would be hand and hand with her right this very minute!"

Ed gave Al a small grin as the two continued to bicker. It went on for almost another minute until Riza stood up and held an air-horn into the air, quickly breaking up everyone's thoughts.

"This isn't about you Maes so shut your trap before I do it for you!" Riza growled before she turned to look at Al, who had become quiet alarmed by her actions. "Hello Alphonse. I'm Riza, Riza Hawkeye."

"Just call me Al," he said with a pleasant smile.

"Alright then Al."

"Uh, I'm Roy Mustang."

"Yeah, my brother's told me about you."

"Oh _really_?" Roy asked as he turned to give a malice grin towards Ed. "What_ did _he say about me?"

"Sorry! I can't tell you do to a brother-brother confidentiality agreement," Al said brightly, causing Ed to laugh lightly.

Al looked across the room and instantly met with a pair of bright blue ones. He smile at her, she smiled in return before she took a few steps forward so that she would be closer to him.

"I'm-."

"Winry, I know. Brother's told me _so much _about you," Al said with a suggestive smirk on his face, causing Ed to blush slightly.

"Oh really now?" Winry asked, he own cheeks pink.

"Yup!"

"Like what?" Winry asked as she gave Ed a look.

"Well first of all, Ed is totally in lo-."

"SHUT UP AL!"

* * *

"So where to now?"

"I don't know…we could always just hang out here for a while," Al muttered as he dug his feet a little deeper into the sand. "I mean, I could always call my friends and then we can all hang out."

"Sounds good Al!"

After talking in the motel room for a good hour, they all crammed into Winry's van and took a drove to no where in particular. No where in particular turned out to be the local kids' park, where they sat on swing and slides and jungles-jims and partook in childhood games that they thought they had forgotten.

"Cool, I'll call them now."

"Who's he callin'?" Roy asked as he sat down on the swing next to Ed.

"His three friends."

"Okay…"

Twenty minutes later, a vibrant red convertible came screaming into the quiet park and skidded into an extremely crooked parking job. A tall and curvy girl popped out of her seat and stood straight up before she began shouting as if Al was a football field away, instead of a few yards.

"_ALLLL-PHOONNNSE!" _the girl screamed until she jumped out of her car with two blond teens behind her. "_WE'RE HEEEERRREEEE!"_

"Um, so that's Rose…" Al said sheepishly to the others before the girl in question tackled him from behind.

"_Al_!" Rose giggled loudly into Al's ear, rocking back and forth from one stiletto heal to another.

"Hi Rose."

It was at this point that Rose seemed to finally realize that there were more people there. She stared at each of them for a moment with her large brown eyes before they finally rested on Ed's perplex and slightly hesitant face. Rose unwrapped her arms from around Al's shoulders and walked towards him while wearing a rather flirty smile.

"Hel_lo_ there. And now _who_ is this _very handsome_ friend of yours Al?"

"Uh, Rose…this is Ed. My brother," Al added, feeling slightly uncomfortable with the way that Rose was staring at him.

"What?"

"Yo! Alphonse!"

Ed redirected his attention to the other two teens that appeared to be momentarily forgotten. He instantly recognized Russell and Fletcher from their pictures. Ed was then aggravated to find that Russell was a good four of five inches taller than himself.

"Hey Russ! Fletcher!"

"Hey Al," said Fletcher. "Who're your new friends?"

"Yeah Al, are you thinking of ditching us?" Russell joked with a cocky grin that Ed had always associated with Roy.

"Well I was going to explain it right now if you don't mind," Al began before he turned to Ed and said, "This is my brother-Edward."

The three friends gave similar responses to when Ed informed his own friends that he had a younger brother on the other side of the country. Their jaws were left hanging while they blinked rapidly in confusion.

"You mean," started Russell in a weak voice, "that this is _the Ed_."

_'The Ed'…_Ed thought smugly,_ that has a nice ring to it._

"Yeah. He's my brother."

"Well then why the heck didn't you tell us that he was coming?" Fletcher yelled.

"I didn't _know_ he was coming! He just showed up on my doorstep yesterday!"

"Really?" Russell asked in a tone that indicated mild surprise. "That takes guts man."

Russell took a step forward to give Ed a hard handshakes, one that nearly brook Russell's hand in the process when he made the mistake of shaking Ed's right hand.

"Dude! What's up with your hand?" Russell asked, finally noticing that not both hands that stuck out of Ed's red hoodie were flesh and bone.

"Accident," Ed mumbled, feeling suddenly uncomfortable with the three strangers staring at his extremities as if he was on display at a museum.

"Well, now that we're all here, let's do something exciting!" Sheska exclaimed, unintentionally breaking up the awkward moment.

"Perfect," purred Rose, returning to giving flirtatious glances at Ed. "We can go to _my_ place. It's completely _empty._"

"Cool!" Roy said, apparently not noticing the looks Rose was giving Ed.

"Let's get going," Jean said, spring up from his swing. "Lead the way." He added, grinning at Rose.

"Oh, of course," she said with a false, high-pitched giggle to Jean.

Jean then took her arm and began leading her to her car; Rose continued to throw looks at Ed over her shoulder as she went. Ed turned around when he heard a loud scoff and saw Winry standing there, arms crossed while she glared at the brunettes' wiggling backsides. This too made Ed uneasy.

"So who's driving what?" Russell's voice rang out behind them.

"Well we don't have much more room in my van," Winry said. "So I think we'll just follow you guys behind…_Rose's_ car."

"Alright."

"But what about my car?" Al asked. "It's still at the motel!"

"We can get it later Al," Ed said, not keen on having to rid in a car with his brother at the wheel.

"Or we can just stop by the Motel again on the way there-," Riza began, unaware of Al's driving style.

"No," Ed said firmly. "Let's all just drive together."

"Why?" Al pouted.

"Well…Al, you're a worse driver than Sheska and Jean _combined_."

Everyone there who was aware of the twos driving skills either winced at this statement or shuddered at the horrible thought of what Al's driving skills would be like.

"I'm not _that_ bad Ed! It's not like I _hit_ anything!"

"Yeah, but Al…" Ed trailed off as he tried to find the right words to let his brother off lightly while still trying to sound firm. "You _almost_ hit things…_constantly_. And you speed, _a lot_."

"Fine, fine Drama King. I won't drive."

"Good."

* * *

They pulled up to a large and impressive looking apartment complex. In Ed's opining, it looked more like a hotel than anything. With its wall-sized windows and a large and luxurious pool, he had to wonder how much it cost to rent out an apartment here. Ed saw Rose bounce out of her car with Jean in tow in front of him before he glanced over to Winry, who was looking particularly murderous. What was her problem?

"You ready?" Ed asked as the sliding door behind their seat was flung open and hot and humid summer air infiltrated the once air-conditioned car.

"Yes," Winry said with a small snap in her voice before she practically bolted out of the car, leaving Ed alone and rather confused.

"What's with her?" Ed grumbled before he hopped out of the car and ran towards the shelter of air-conditioning.

Ed stared around Rose's large apartment on the fifth floor. It was lavishly decorated in furniture and appliances no average teen should be able to afford on their own. All the walls that Ed could see were painted a pale lavender color. She had a large plasma television that hung on the wall in front of her large and comfy looking couch. Resting beneath the television was a top of the line stereos system. In-between the items were a beautiful wooden coffee table that held a pot of fresh, red roses.

In the dinning room area she had a grand, eight-seater, wooden dinner table and above it, Ed had to feel this was just a bit too pretentious, she had a beautiful decorative glass chandelier. He couldn't see the kitchen, her bedroom, or her bathroom but he expected them all to be filled with equally lavish and gorgeous furniture and more state of the art appliances.

Ed looked around at his friends and found them all staring at all of Rose's spoils in her apartment. The only person whose house may have come anywhere close to this degree of grandeur was Maes' house, but he had to share it with his mother, father, and the occasional relatives over the holidays; Rose had this kingdom to herself.

"Oh, yes," Rose said in what Ed assumed to be her failed attempt at a modest voice when she noticed everyone's eye popping out of their sockets. "I know it's a _bit_ much but…they were _gifts_-I couldn't get rid of them!"

"Who the Hell gave you these things?" Jean asked as he eyed her stereos. "Because I want to meet them and ask them if they can give me some gifts!"

"Well…I'm sorry but you can't," Rose said quietly, her face suddenly dropping its bright causality and her eyes began to moisten, "b-because he's…_dead._"

All of Ed's friends suddenly developed expressions of grief, except for Winry and Riza. One look at the two quietly whispering girls and Ed could tell that their bullshit-meters were going through the roof. But why would she lie about something so serious? Or maybe she wasn't lying and the two girls were simply misjudging her.

"What happened Rose?" Jean asked with so much forced sympathy in his voice that Ed could only imagine how badly he wanted to get into her pants. "Who was he?"

"He w-was my b-boyfriend! _Kain_!" Rose sobbed loudly before she covered her face and collapsed onto the couch. "H-He d-d-died in a car w-wreck! We ran a-aw-away together! From our parents who wanted us to separate! But then a few months later, he _died_! It was only a year ago! I still miss him_ terribly!_"

Ed turned to look at Russell, Fletcher, and Al. All looked uncomfortable but slightly annoyed. How many times could she have said this story to make the teens look that way?

Maes and Sheska stood a bit in front of them, both wearing expressions one would have when at the deathbed of a dear friend. Winry and Riza remained by the door, still whispering while shooting Rose skeptical looks. Roy and Jean on the other hand were both sitting on either side of Rose on the couch, both competing for Rose's shoulder to cry on.

Was this girl for real? Ed had no clue as to whom he should side with. All he knew was that tonight would be long and complicated with all of these characters. But what he didn't know was all of the drama that would ensue because of the maybe-pretend-sobbing girl in front of him.

* * *

**Just a little note, Kamikaze squirrel/rabbit/bird/insert small-suburban-animal-here is what my mom says when she's driving.**

**I loved writing this chapter. I realized that as I was writing Rose, I love writing snobby, overdramatic, bitchs. I hope you all enjoyed your extra-long, early chapter because I thought it was a good one.**

**Winry's pissed off and I have a feeling that there will be a cat-fight in the near future. :P**

**BYE!**

**-FSK**


	25. An Isosceles Love Triangle

**Hello everyone! **

**Sorry this is a bit late, I've been busy with a bunch of school stuff lately. Why is it that when you only have a week of school left, teachers seem to give you more work than they gave you in the last two months? It pisses me off to no end. But, I've also been busy with my new addiction of Claymore-which I recommend to anyone in needing of a fix of blood and bad-assed chicks.**

**But enough rambling; here's a new chapter and I hope you enjoy.**

* * *

Edward took another drink of his beer and stared around at the dimly lit room. About an hour after her crying fit, Rose had procured alcoholic drinks for everyone and then proceed to throw a kind of dance party of sorts. That is, after she had milked plenty of sympathy out of Roy and Jean to stop her maybe-fake crying and wailing. It felt like hours had passed by to Ed when it really could have only been an hour but this was understandable for he was not really having as much fun as he supposed he should have.

His younger brother was getting along perfectly with his friends and he was having a great time; Ed had to admit it was quite endearing to watch him stumble and giggle around for it appeared that he was as much as a light weight as Winry and Sheska. Fletcher seemed to have bonded wonderfully with Maes, who he was now playing a round of beer-pong with. Russell on the other hand seemed to have gotten a bit _too_friendly with Riza and caused a quick, childish fight between him and Roy. In all reality, Ed would have been having the time of his life if it weren't for a certain teenaged girl who appeared incapable of leaving his side for more than three minutes at a time.

"_Edddwaaaaardd!"_ Rose often yelled in Ed's ear in a sing-song voice whenever Ed had stopped paying attention to her for more than five seconds; Edward had winced so much because of it this that he was sure that his face would be frozen like it for the rest of his life.

"_Yeah_?" Ed would always respond, putting as much annoyance into his voice as humanly possible.

"You stopped talking!" Rose giggle in an almost child-like voice that made him cringe even more.

Ed glanced down at the arms that were wrapped tightly around his left arm with disdain. Rose, however, did not appear to notice this in the dim lighting and continued to swing his arms back and forth slightly. No matter how many times he made excuses for her to let go of his arm and no matter how hard Ed tried to hide from her, Rose always found her way back to him. The only other times Ed found relief from her presence was whenever Roy or Jean appeared to whisk her away for a dance that always seem to go back so quickly.

"_Sooo_," she kept saying whenever Ed fell silent. "Are you havin' fun?"

Rose had already asked this at least three times and every time she asked, Ed gave her the same answer.

"I'm alright."

"That's great! Do you need another drink?"

Rose had asked this question at least _four_ times and every time she asked, Ed had always seemed to have found that he had guzzled down his drink and indeed asked her for another. He had to remember to stop after his most recent refill when he had felt the ground shift slightly after moving too fast.

"No. I'm good for now."

"Alright!"

Rose continued to smile and giggle at him even after he had fallen silent. He could tell that she was not acting like this because of the alcohol and that worried him. Then, when he was expecting to be reproached upon for falling silent for move than thirty seconds or for making her do all the talking, Rose asked him a question that caught him completely off guard.

"Can you help me with something?"

"Huh?"

"I need your help. I just remember that I needed to ask someone," Rose said before she began to sniff and her eyes began to water. "I was _going_ to ask Alphonse or Russell but I got side tracked with…with talking about…about…_Kain._"

Ed, again, was not sure if these tears were real; he would have to ask Al later if he knew if this Kain ever existed. While Rose sobbed on his arm, Ed stared around the room, hoping like Hell that the others were too busy having a good time to notice the ridiculousness of the situation. Ed turned his head when he felt a pair of eyes, practically burning holes into his head. But when he turned in the direction, all he saw was Winry, seemingly deep in conversation with Riza.

"E-Edward…" Rose said in such a pitiful voice Ed had to believe she was at least milking this slightly.

"Yeah?" Ed asked, turning his attention back to Rose.

"C-could you help me with that thing…now?"

"Uh, sure. What do you need?"

"Oh, it's in my bedroom," Rose said with her solemn expression on her face but Ed could have sworn he saw a flicker of something else in her eyes.

While Ed has some reservations about going into a girl's bedroom, especially one that he had just met and had spent the past hours annoying the crap out of him, Ed nodded and let Rose follow him down a small hallway and into another beautiful and extravagant room.

Rose had a wood-framed, king-sized bed with a canopy of luxurious red silk and matching bed spread. The walls were painted a dark violet color and all of the furniture was made out of dark, mahogany wood. The dark crimson carpeting under his feet was plush and in this room she had an identical technological set up with another plasma television and large stereo system. Ed was pretty sure the door in the corner led to a walk in closet for he saw no hint of a closet in the room. She had no chandelier in her but Ed saw two ornate lamps on either side of the large window that, like the other room, took up almost an entire wall.

"So," Ed asked as he turned to Rose, "what did you need help fixing?"

Rose took a large and quick step towards Ed, filling up most of the space between them before she said, with a look on her face that was the complete opposite from the forlorn expression she had moments ago, "My rut."

"…what?" Ed asked, completely confounded.

"My_ dating_ rut, silly," Rose said in almost a whisper as she inched closer.

"_W-what?_" Ed stuttered, his mind unable to process the news as fast as it was coming. "_Ouff_."

Rose had just thrown her arms around Edward's neck and wrapped them tightly and securely. Ed's face felt as if it had gone up in flames and he was determined to look anywhere but at her. She was much, _much_ too close for Ed's liking and she appeared to be moving closer with every second the ticked by.

"I think you're really _sexy_ Edward," Rose purred.

* * *

"Just go over there and throw her to the ground if she's pissing you off so much," Riza sighed exasperatedly into her plastic cup of alcohol.

"I can't do that!" Winry growled as she tried to picture what face Rose would make id Winry hit her with a wrench.

For almost the entire party, Winry and Riza stood near the other side of Rose's apartment, trash-talking her while, in Winry's case, glaring while she clung to Ed like he was her only life line. Once or twice Winry was sure Ed caught her glaring at Rose but either he didn't notice or he didn't care; she hoped it was the second option. Every few minutes, Riza would let out a small sigh and say that she should just confront Rose about it, because she alone was Winry's only friend who was one-hundred percent sure about her feelings when it came to Ed.

"I mean…what if Ed _wants _her to be there-hanging on him," Winry mumbled sadly. "Then I'd just look like a bitch and I'm sure he'd be mad at me…"

"And since when have you ever cared about being a bitch?" Riza asked jokingly.

"_Riza_," Winry groaned. "I'm _serious!_"

"I know, I know-sorry."

"I don't know how you do it," she muttered while slumping against the nearby wall.

"What do you mean?"

"How you manage to keep your head whenever you see Roy going out with all those girls! How can you stand it?"

"Not so loud!" Riza hissed, her face a brilliant red color. "I don't want any of _them_ hearing that!"

"Right, sorry," Winry said, trying her best to suppress a grin at her usually composed friend's embarrassment. "But how do you do it?"

"I don't know really…" Riza said before she took another sip of her drink. "I guess I just tell myself that he's not actually looking for a relationship in any of the girls and take solace in the fact that she'll be gone in a few days."

"How is that supposed to help me? How do I _know_ that Ed doesn't want a relationship with that, that-_slut!_ How am I supposed to know when Ed is so…uncertain around me?"

Riza looked over at the other two teens. She was sure that Ed did not in fact want Rose like that by the expressions on his face, but she could never be sure. Riza then turned back and stared at her friend for a few moments; her clear hazel eyes giving Winry the odd sensation of x-raying her mind before she let a small frown fall on her face and spoke.

"You can't. You just have to…" Riza trailed off before let out another loud sigh; when she opened her mouth again, everything came as a rush to Winry's confused and slightly drunk brain. "You should understand that in every serious relationship, you need trust right? Well right now, you and Ed are in a different kind of relationship-but it's still a serious one, so you need to trust each other. He probably trusts you to not go and-I don't know-go grind on Russell if you drank too much, right? So _you_ should trust _him_ to not go and make out with that slut, okay?"

"…what?" Winry said after a moment. She wasn't sure if it was the alcohol, her anger over Rise, or a mixture of both but something was clouding her brain.

"Just…you have to trust each other. Even if you two aren't in the desired type of relationship, you're in one. So...you just need to believe and trust that he won't do anything," Riza said slower.

"I guess you're right…" Winry said before she gave Riza a radiant smile and threw her arms around Riza's neck. "Thanks."

"No problem. Now how about you go and enjoy the rest of the party and ignore that stupid slut."

"Right!" Winry exclaimed.

But just as Winry turned around, she froze. There, right in front of her own, perfectly functioning eyes, she saw Ed and Rose heading to what Winry was sure was her bedroom. It felt as if her heart had stopped but then began beating rapidly to make up for the lost time and the bottom of her stomach had run out of the apartment in fear.

"No…

Ed didn't even look like he was being forced to go. Rose wasn't dragging him, he didn't look upset or annoyed, he just looked…like Ed and this is probably what made Winry feel so horrible.

Then, ignoring the words that were coming from Riza along with the comforting hand she had placed on her shoulder, Winry set forth after the two, down the hall and listened against the bedroom door…waiting.

* * *

"W-what?" Ed asked, hoping that he misunderstood something while heat flooded to his face.

"I said that I think you're sexy…don't you agree?" Rose whispered while twirling a lock of his hair around her slender pointer fingers.

"I…"

"Oh, you're so _modest_…that's so-_cute!_" Rose giggled before she leaned in closer to him.

Ed let out a small gasp when he felt her warm lips on the side of his face. She had kissed him…and he didn't even try to stop her.

"Aww…you're so red," Rose whispered, stroking one of Ed's inflamed cheeks with one of her hands.

As she came in closer again, Ed shook his head like a dog trying to get rid of water from its ears but once his mind began to clear again, her soft lips had pressed against his face again but this time, it was much closer to his own lips.

"Edward, you're being awfully rude," Rose pouted slightly. "When a lady wants to kiss you…you should let her."

She was kissing him. Her lips pressed firmly on his and with her arms wrapped securely around his own neck he had little chance at escaping. But then, her arms unwrapped from around his neck. Ed made a move to escape when Rose placed her hands on his chest and gave him a firm push.

"Ahh!"

Soft. Expecting the hard floor, Ed seemed to have landed on something particularly soft and comfortable. Looking up, he saw a large canopy and realization hit him like a ton of bricks as Rose placed herself on top of him again. He was in her bed…

_SLAM!_

Ed picked his head as far as Rose's body would allow him and saw, to his horror, Winry. Standing there like a statute, staring at them with a blank and unreadable expression on her face that made Edward's insides freeze up.

* * *

**Oooh, someone's in trouble...but who will Winry blame? And how will Winry react? Please tell me your thoughts because I'm still not quite sure how I should have her react.**

**But, I hope you all liked this chapter and didn't notice too many grammar/spelling mistakes because I didn't have time to check over this one too much. :)**

**-FSK**


	26. Her Heartbreak

**Hello everyone! Thanks for all of the amazing reviews that helped me break 300 reviews! **

**Sorry if this chapter's grammar sucks because I have finals tomorrow and I'm busy working on a cheat-sheet my teacher is allowing me to use but there's a bunch of shit on the study guide so I wanted to quickly update it. More sorry since this is a bit short but I needed ti end it here to set up next chapter. **

* * *

_"…think you're sexy…"_

_What?_

"…_you're so… cute!_"

_Huh?_

"…_wants to kiss you…you should let her."_

_Kiss? Is she _kissing_ him?_

Winry was currently in a position that if she saw someone else in, she'd call them an eavesdropper and rude before, most likely, hitting them over the head with something. But this…this was different. She was allowed to take a step down from her thrown for a moment and do something considered wrong-right? All's fair in love and war; she kept telling herself to help justify her actions…and wasn't love practically the same thing as war anyways?

"_Ahh!"_

Edward's yell had brought her out of her thoughts and self-doubt. Before she was quite sure what she was doing, or even why she was doing it, Winry had sprung up from her crouched position against the door and her hand flew to the door knob and burst into the room.

…silence. Dead silence flowed into the room like an icy draft from an open window; a draft so that icy it seemed to freeze everything it touched. Winry's mind seemed to freeze along with the room while she tried to take in everything that was going on in front of her. There was Ed, lying sprawled on his back, face colored a bright red and eyes looking completely confused, and not to mention, scared. Winry was sure she would have found it very comical if it wasn't for the other two main things she noticed. Then there was the fact that he was lying, looking almost adorably confused, on a bed; _her_ bed. Lastly, there was Rose…and seeing her like that made Winry's blood boil and her heart stop at the same time. She was lying-no-_straddling_ Edward while looking so enviously appealing that Winry found herself hating herself a bit more for not being able to pull off that kind of sex appeal. Winry stared into her eyes and wanted to cry at what she saw: contempt with some almost sick pleasure in her eyes that made Winry feel like she was laughing at her. Laughing at her for even thing or believing that Ed would actually chose Winry over herself. As Rose began to give her an almost wicked smile, Winry shut her mouth and redirected her gaze towards Ed, hoping with every fiber of her being that he was staring at Rose with disgust and then at her with…gratitude for saving him…at the very least. But no, he laid there, looking just as adorably confused as before but now, after about a minute had passed by without a word being said, Winry didn't find it as adorable anymore. In fact, it started to infuriate her because it looked so much like the expression one would wear when caught in the act. As Winry began to feel heat flood to her cheeks and her eyes watering, she took a deep breath and tried her best to keep her bodily shaking out of her voice.

"Oh…sorry. Thought this was the b-bathroom," Winry muttered, cursing everything in the world that her weakness had began to show near the end.

"Bathroom's down the hall, Hun," Rose said in a condescending tone that nearly forced Winry to jump onto her, but she couldn't. She had to act as if she didn't care, even though it felt as if every internal organ she possessed was currently being cut apart by Rose herself with a pair of evilly sharp scissors. "Now if you'll just excuses us…?"

"Winry!"

Winry's heart felt as if it had jumped into her throat when Edward had called her name. But she didn't want to hear it. She didn't want to hear his excuses or even why she would have been foolish enough to believe in what he had said almost two weeks ago in her truck. Instead of going over to the two and pulling Rose off of him before beating her within an inch of her life, Winry began to slowly back out of the room. Ignoring Ed's calls for her that hurt her worse than she could have ever imagined before, she closed the door in front of her and was now walking down the hall, unaware of everything except for the front door. Someone may have called out her name, maybe more than one-who knew?-but before anyone could have stopped her, she bolted out of the party and down the hallway. Winry bypassed the elevator and ran straight to the stairs, hoping that physical stimulate would wake her up from this horrible nightmare.

"…_I hope you realize that if could be together with you, I would…"_

_Well then why _aren't _you? _Winry's mind screamed._ Why am I not good enough? Why would being a girlfriend make me so much more of a threat than being a friend?_

"_You're afraid that Kimblee would use me against you… you block yourself out to everyone in the world there is always going to be someone that's a weakness to you..!"_

"…_I'll…I'll be thinking about what you said…"_

_Liar! You never thought of it seriously! …but, but he kissed me…_

"_Don't say that I don't want to be with you. Never…"_

…_liar…_

Winry tripped on the last two steps and slammed into the emergency exit door and slumped onto the push handle; letting herself cry and sob over everything that Ed had told her regarding what might be between them. As she began to her frantic footsteps from stairs above, Winry found the strength to push open the door and run towards her car. She registered slightly that is was raining, water pounding onto her head with the same strength as the tears that were pouring out of her eyes while she struggled to find her car keys.

Once she was inside and had the car started, Winry slammed onto the pedals and skidded out of the parking lot. Where she was going, she had no clue; even if she had known the area, she doubted she would have the slightest idea between the pounding rain and her watering eyes. All she knew was that she wouldn't be able to look at the golden eyed teen she had loved since the moment she they first met ever again…

* * *

_Winry stared out her window and into the next houses window. A kid had recently moved into the new foster home today, a kid her own age. She was excited to hear this but thoughts of biking along the nearby creak and playing in each other's backyards well passed curfew instantly flew out of her mind the instant she laid eyes on the poor kid._

_He was missing an arm…and a leg. How could a kid live like that? More importantly, how did he lose them? After getting over the initial shock of seeing a kid her own age in that state, she wanted to help him and then hopefully become his friend._

_She could see him sitting in his wheel chair in the middle of the room, reading a book on his lap. This was another thing that Winry found odd; why would any twelve-year old boy want to read instead of watching television or playing some brain-rotting video game but then again, maybe there wasn't a choice. So, building up her courage, Winry got up and walked over to the screen door that lead to her small wooden balcony. Leaning over the wood railing slightly, Winry took a deep breath before releasing the air in the form of a shout._

"_HEY!"  
_

_The boy jumped so badly that he almost fell out of his chair, making Winry instantly feel bad but continued on with her shouting when he didn't look at her._

"_You!" she screamed while pointing at him before he turned to look at her; for some reason his face turned a pale pink color when he looked at her._

"_Um…yeah?" he asked quietly._

"_So, you're the new kid?" Winry asked instantly, before mentally smacking herself for pointing out the obvious._

_He nodded at this. Winry could not blame him for not responding to such an idiotic question._

"_What book are you reading…?" Winry asked quietly when her brain seemed to stop functioning._

"_What?"_

"_Oh um, nothing."_

_The two kids stared at each other awkwardly for another moment, exchanging looks and glances at their attire and appearances. Winry couldn't help but notice the way his shaggy golden hair fell into his big, bright gold eyes and that even though he was missing two limbs, he still looked better than most of the kids in the entire city. But putting appearances aside, Winry still felt an unusual pull towards the boy; one that told her to no only help him but to be with him; to be there for him and then maybe, in turn, he'd be there for her as well. _

_The kid then said something that made her feel as if the bottom of her stomach had fallen out._

"_You can stare if you want you know. I don't really care."_

_Winry blushed a bit when she realized that he was talking about his…stumps. She quickly tried to rid herself of the feeling and pressed on with her oddly intense desire to help him._

"_I-it must suck," Winry said lamely; he smiled slightly at this and Winry again felt as if her stomach had fallen from her body again._

"_Kinda."_

"_W-well I was thinking…my family makes these awesome prosthetics. Their really cool!" Winry exclaimed, her eyes shinning with passion. "We could, you know…make some for you-if you wanted! I mean, I don't want to push them on you but it was just a suggestion so I-."_

_But Winry lost her voice when she saw him begin to laugh lightly at her stuttering antics. Again, she cursed her for her blushing face and for the odd feeling in her stomach that she couldn't account to anything. What was it?_

"_Prosthetics huh? My nurse keeps pushing them on me since I still have my knee and that means it'll be easier for a prosthetics fitting."_

"_You nurse?"_

"_You saw her. The crazy lady with the dye-job."_

"_Oh."_

"_Yeah…so, could you show me a prosthetic? Just so I could see what it looks like. Because I've seen some really shitty ones and I don't' want to be seen lumbering around with some piece of pink plastic stuck to me."_

"_Okay!" Winry exclaimed before she ran out of her room, down the hall and into the upstairs work room. Thankfully her grandma wasn't here at the moment so that meant that she could sneak one out quickly without questions; Winry settled on an arm and lugged it out of the room._

"_That's it?" she heard him say in awe once she stumbled out onto the porch once more._

"_Yep! Grandma designed it herself," Winry added proudly. "She's taking me under her wing and in a month she's gonna let me try and build one on my own."_

"_Badass." _

_Winry smiled gleefully at him while he smiled back at her. After a moment, it occurred to her that she was showing off prized merchandise and she didn't even know his name._

"_So uh, what's your name? Mine's Winry. Winry Rockbell," she added quickly._

"_Hiya Winry. I'm Edward. Edward Elric."_

* * *

"What did you do?" Roy asked Edward in a mixed tone that sounded both accusing and slightly impressed.

Winry's sudden and tearful departure had left an immediate effect on the party goers and if that didn't, Ed running out of Rose's bedroom, yelling with Rose apparently trying to grope him as he ran did. Now, the music had stopped, the lights had been turned back on and everyone was trying to figure out what the Hell had just happened. Riza, however, quickly understood what happened the moment she saw Winry running away and wished she could have done something to help her poor friend.

"_I_ didn't do _anything_!" Ed yelled, his voice cracking, before he turned to point an accusing finger at Rose, who was sitting on the sofa looking rather board with it all. "It was all _her_ fucking fault!"

"What do you mean?" Jean asked, casting a confused glance at Rose.

"_She was fucking molesting me!"_

Rose rolled her eyes and scoffed at this.

"Oh _please_," Rose said in a slightly arrogant voice as she lazily inspected her cuticles. "Like you didn't love every second of it."

"I didn't-_if you didn't notice_," Ed growled. "And I certainly didn't appreciate you clinging to me for the past hour!"

Rose let out another scoffing noise before she got up and walked over to the kitchen, ignoring the others completely. Edward just wanted to throttle the girl between practically molesting him, messing things up with Winry, and the way she acted so cool about this, as if messing up a relationship was a daily event. (Although it probably was one Ed thought about it again) But Ed had to stop himself from attacking the girl because: she was a girl and he'd probably be arrested for it.

"So Winry caught you to at it?" Maes questioned.

"Again, it was all _her _and yes. I wanted to explain it to her but…she just left before I could think!" Edward said as he tried to keep the extreme pleading tone out of his voice; he wanted his friends to believe him but he didn't want sound as if he was faking it.

"Well first off we have to find Winry," Riza reasoned; everyone gave a general murmur of agreement to it.

"So let's go," Maes said, heading towards the still open front door.

"I hope you'll understand if I don't go with you on your little 'search and rescue mission'," Rose said in a board voice from the kitchen.

No one said anything to her but as Edward was leaving the apartment, he had the distinct feeling that she was staring at him with hungry eyes again and it made him feel both angered and sick.

_Please be okay Winry…_Edward couldn't help but chant in his head with every pound of his foot onto the stairs. _Please understand what happened…_

**

* * *

**

**WAAAHHH! I felt so bad when I writing Winry's POV. Rose is such a mega-super ultra slut-bitch.**

**YAY FOR ME! Today was my last actual day of school! ...heavy sigh for finals now...wish me luck on my Geometery Final tomorrow-I'll need it.**

**Bye!**

**-FSK**


	27. His Return

**Hello my lovely readers!**

**Today was my last day of school! So what am I going to do this summer,you may ask? WELL I'M GOING TO DISNEY WORLD! WOOOOT! XD (which ever one that's in Florida) I'm super excited because I've never been that far away from home and I've never been to a Disney Park before. I'm leaving this Friday but, I'm worried that I'm going to die because I'm going there with my high school's marching band and we have to march in our _wool_ uniforms...**

**Any who, thanks for all of your lovely reviews last chapter! They were all greatly appreciated.**

* * *

For once in his short driving career, Alphonse was actually taking extra caution to drive as carefully as possible. Due to the fact that Winry had taken their main form of transportation, Russell had nicked Rose's car keys and drove Ed and Al to the motel to pick up Al's car. Now Al was busy driving around the rain-washed city hoping to catch site of blond haired girl or her large, clunky red van while his disgruntled older brother sat in the passenger's seat.

It was completely understandable for Ed to be upset and worried over Winry leaving like this but Al still wished his brother would just tell him what the Hell had happened between him and Rose. But after a sending two minutes trying to get information out of Ed, Al gave up and realized that his brother wasn't going to talk until he wanted to.

_Well_, Al thought_, if he wants to play the waiting game, fine. I'll keep waiting until he's ready._

"I don't know what you see in her!" Ed suddenly exploded, causing Al to veer to the other side of the road with surprise.

"What?"

"_Rose! _Why the Hell are you even friends with that thing? As your older brother, I forbid you from talking to that, that-_women_!" Ed yelled, turning suddenly uncharacteristically stern. "How old is she anyways! 20? 21? She's got to be at least 21 because she has so much booze. Isn't she a pedophile then if she hitting on me and Jean and other guys?"

Al couldn't help but smile at his brother when he was acting so protective over him; it was a welcome change to a few days ago when he could only imagine what his brother was even like.

"Do you know?" Ed snapped.

"What?" Al asked, not quite sure what Ed was ranting and raving about a few seconds ago.

"How. Old. Is. She?" Ed growled through his clenched teeth.

"Oh, uh 19."

"_19?_ Why doesn't she go and find some friends her own age?"

"Well it's kinda hard for her to," Al mumbled quietly.

"What do you mean?"

Al let out a sigh while trying to organize his thoughts. Should he tell Ed? Well if he did, maybe he'd get off of her back and stop worrying. But then again…?

_It's not my story to tell._

"You see, Rose moved here about a year ago with her boyfriend Kain. She moved her because she was having some major family problems-."

"Like what?" Ed scoffed thinking of his own 'family' problems. "Her parents weren't all giddy about their kid hooking up with another guy every night?"

"No," Al said gently. "Her parent's were getting a divorce and I guess things were turning pretty nasty in the household. And then apparently both of her parents wanted her to move away with them but neither wanted to stay in their old house and Rose was upset because, obviously she wouldn't see any of her friends anymore. Then I think Rose ran away on her own and then-she won't tell me how or why-both of her parent's died and she had no place to go, so she left."

"But wait. What about her friends? If she was so big on staying because of her friends, why didn't any of them step up to the plate and take care of her?" Ed asked in slight outrage for Rose's so-called friends of the past. He remembered when Winry's parent's passed away all of her friends had done everything to make her feel better.

"She won't tell me," Al answered but continued talking when he saw Ed open his mouth. "Yes I know what you're going to say. I don't know if she's lying or not but maybe she isn't. Anyways, then I guess she met Kain and they ran away together. I never had a chance to meet Kain because we met her about a week after he died. And I guess she's just had trouble making friends since then. I'll never forget how pitiful she looked that day…"

"So she's your friend because you pitied her?"

"No, we're friends with her because when she's not doing something like-."

"_Ruining relationships?"_

"And what _kind _of relationship did Rose ruin by the way?" Al asked with a small smirk. "But, yes. When's she's not going things like that, she's actually a good person who always thinks of fun things to do."

"Whatever…" Ed muttered before he folded his arms across his chest and stared out the slightly less rain-washed window before his heart froze for a moment when he spotted something. "_Alphonse_."

"What is it?" Al asked, instantly recognizing the change in his tone.

"Pull over," Ed ordered.

Even before Al had brought the car to a complete stop, Ed flung open the door and began running across the road, through the pouring rain, and over to the large red monster of van that he would recognize anywhere.

"_Winry!_" Ed shouted as he pounded on the driver's door; panic beginning to pour into his body when he received no answer. "_Winry open up now_!"

It was then that Ed realized that he didn't even know if the door was locked or not. Grabbing onto the rusty metal door handle, Ed pulled on it and was pleasantly surprised when he found that the door wasn't locked. After quickly shaking some excess water off of himself, Ed jumped into the van.

"Winry?"

But there was not only one bland-haired teen, but two. One was crouched behind the back seat so that only the top of her head was visible from where Ed stood, the other sat in the isle way and appeared to have been trying to coax the other out of her hiding place.

"Riza?"

Of course _Riza was here…_Ed thought, slightly annoyed with the blonds cunnings. _Riza _always_ knows where to go and what to do._

Riza sat in the car, seemingly drenched to the bone with rain and her hair stuck to her face like a second layer of skin. She gave him a slight smile before she made a quick shushing motion and turned back to the other blond, who appeared to be shaking slightly from sobs. Winry appeared to not have heard Edward storm in because she made no inclination to Ed. Instead, she continued to cry quietly; each tiny sob felt like a knife to the gut for Ed.

"…pisses-me-off…" Winry whispered between sobs.

"I know," Riza said while soothingly rubbing circles onto Winry's back.

"W-why can't h-h-h just be with me, o-o-o-or n-not?" Winry sobbed shakily into her folded arms.

"I don't know," Riza asked as she turned and began glaring pointedly at Ed, making him feel incredibly guilty. "It's clear that he likes you. Maybe he's just too much of an _idiot_ to realize this."

"N-no…I kn-know he knows h-h-h l-likes m-me. H-he _k-k-kissed me_! And I k-kissed _h-h-him_!"

"Oh _really_?" Riza asked giving Ed a peculiar look as Ed flushed at these words.

"Y-yeah! But h-he ga-ave me th-this stupid…_noble _s-speech a-ab-out how h-h-he shouldn't d-d-d-ate me! And h-how K-k-Kimblee would be mad and could h-h-hurt me or u-use m-me t-t-t-to hu-urt him if I w-was Ed's g-g-g-girlfriend. _Stupid idiot_!"

Winry ended it all with a large sob, but Riza disregarded it as she tried to piece together what Winry had just said. What did Kimblee have to do with any of this? She knew that Kimblee wasn't the warmest of persons or nicest but…could he be _hurting_Edward? She'd have to confront Ed later though. Riza turned to look at Ed again and found that he looked quite uncomfortable; could she be right about Kimblee?

"_Ugh! _I j-j-just wish h-he wasn't s-su-uch an idiot!" Winry yelled, pulling her head out of its place in between her arms before accidentally turning her head to the side and seeing Edward standing there.

Winry's cheeks blushed redder than her blood-shot eyes. She quickly turned her head away from Ed and hid her head back between her arms. Riza stared from one teen to another as if it were a tennis match before she sighed, got up, and grabbed a beat-up old umbrella from the floor.

"I'll just be outside if anyone needs me."

As Riza closed the door behind her, an awkward cloud of epic portions seemed to settle into the van. Ed had two choices: leave the van and wait until Winry had gotten over the ordeal enough for them to leave in peace or talk to her.

Edward let out a sigh before he took a few hesitant steps towards Winry and then taking Riza's empty spot on the floor. He had no idea about what he should say. 'Sorry that you walked in at the world's worst possible moment?' 'Sorry that I was so shocked that I couldn't do anything when Rose jumped me and then you walked in?' 'Sorry that I don't want you to get hurt by Kimblee and I want to have an open relationship with you but I can't so I won't?' All of these seemed to sound sarcastic in Ed's head and felt that if he said any of them, Winry might just hate him more. Instead, Ed lifted up his right hand and moved it closer to Winry's head, as if he was going to stroke her hair but in all reality Ed had no idea what he was going to do.

"_Don't_…" Winry moaned quietly, as if his touch would bring a horrible death upon her. "Just go away…"

"No," Ed said in a stern voice. "I won't until we fix this."

"There's nothing to fix. You don't want to be with me and-."

"Don't say-."

"_Shut up_!" Winry suddenly yelled; hair flying as she tossed her head back, blood-shot eyes glaring, and teeth bared slightly as if she was going to attack him at any moment.

"Winry!" Ed exclaimed, mostly out of fear for how the girl was acting.

"_I said to shut up Edward Elric!"_ Winry screamed again, looking quite deranged. "All you always say is '_don't say I don't love you_' and '_if I could, I would, but I can't, so I WON'T!_' But you never, _never _have made a promise to me! I could deal with it if you promised me that once you had gotten rid of Kimblee that we could be together, but you _haven't_! You just say that you _want _to be in a relationship but all you're really doing is stringing me along and making me feel like a complete idiot!"

Winry glared at him for another moment, almost as if she was daring him to contradict her, but he didn't. He didn't because Ed knew that Winry was completely and undeniably right. He hadn't made a single promise to her and had only given her empty words in return.

"I'm sick of it! I'm sick of you not realizing what you're doing to me! I come along on this crazy trip _for you_! I ask you to come and live with me so that you don't have to live at that awful house for _your _protection! And what do you do? Nothing! Thank me?-yes, but not in the way I want! And you'll never get it because you are the biggest idiot that has ever roomed the earth!" Winry had begun to sob again now but did not do anything to stop the flood of tears. "You're denser than _Roy Mustang _and _Jean Havoc_ for Christ's sake! Even those two ding-bats realize that I like you!"

Winry let out a noise so high-pitched that Ed was sure only Bats could fully hear it before she shot up from where she sat and began pulling on the latches that were on the back doors. After a moment of pulling and tugging on the locked doors, Winry collapsed onto the floor and dissolved into her sobs.

After a moment to let every scream and shriek sink in, Ed looked at Winry's shaking form and felt his heart shatter. He had done this to her, he had brought Winry to this state. Why did he have to be such an oblivious dumb-ass? Ed gave his head a little shake before he moved over to Winry and picked her up and placed her in his arms. Winry made half-hearted motions to try and get out of his embrace but then stopped and continued sobbing into his shirt.

"I'm sorry," Ed said after a moment of silence. "I'm sorry that I made you feel this way and I'm sorry that I never gave you a true promise but just believed that you would always blindly trust me; that was my mistake. And I'm sorry that I didn't try to stop Rose earlier before things got…_complicated._"

Winry said nothing but Edward thought her sobbing and crying was subsided slightly. Not sure of what else he could do, Ed inched a bit closer to her and tentatively wrapped an arm around her shoulders; she didn't try to shake it off or hurt him. So they sat there for a few more moments in silence, listening to the now gentle taps of rain on the windows of the van, until Winry's crying had become nothing more than sniffs and hiccups. Winry turned her head and looked up at Ed.

"Do you promise me?" Winry asked before getting cut off by a hiccup.

"Of course I do," Ed said with a small smile. "I promise that once I'm out of all this mess and I'm sure everything's safe, we will be a serious couple. Handy-holding in public, being cute-everything."

Winry couldn't help but snort slightly at these words for she was sure that no matter how much in love Winry and Ed were, they would never be the annoying couple who never stopped making out or the grossly over cute, lovey-dovey couple but it was nice all the same that Ed at least promised it, joking or not.

"Good."

Ed gave Winry one last big, goofy grin before he leaned over and kissed her softly on her forehead.

About a half an hour later, the four slightly drenched blond teens arrived back at the Motel Ed's friends

* * *

were staying at. Ed quickly explained what had happened in Winry's van, glossing over most of the alone time Ed and Winry had, and told the relived group of friends that he and Winry had made up. Exhausted from worrying, the group collapsed into a lazy heap, watched movies, and ordered lot's of take-out. Around nine o'clock that night, Al's cell phones rang.

"It's Izumi," Al informed the group before he answered. "She'll probably be mad that I didn't call her sooner. Hello? Yeah I'm with Ed and our friends…no. We're at the Motel they're staying at, watching some movies…yeah it's the one that's a couple streets away…We'll be home before midnight…yes I promise…okay, bye."

"So what's up?" Fletcher asked.

"Nothing, just checking up on me."

"'kay."

Ten minutes later, after they finally starting up the movie after a brief food fight that was initiated by Jean and ended when Riza dumped an entire leader of soda onto his head for hitting her in the face with a piece of pizza, there was a knock on the door. Everyone looked at everyone else.

"Did anyone order more food?" Roy asked with a small groan, staring around at all of the many different take-out containers that all appeared to be about half-full.

"No."

"Maybe someone called the main office and wants to bitch us out for being loud," Jean sighed through a mouth full of pizza.

When no one got up to answer, Ed let out a slightly annoyed sigh and said, "Don't all get up at once. I'll get it." Ed pulled himself up from his spot, passed the pyramid of pizza boxes Roy had stacked, and walked to the door. "Hello?"

Ed felt as if a small bubble had been placed around him, once he had fully opened the door, and time had frozen inside of it while life continued outside of it, for he felt frozen but only a few feet away, he could hear his friends fooling around.

"Edward…" the person said with a small gasp of surprise in his deep voice.

Edward could hear his heart hammering in his ear as he studied the tall man in front of him, eyes trailing from his brown shoes, up his brown pants and white dress shirt with a vest, all up until Ed reached the man's face. Long blond hair pulled into a pony tail matching Edward's and if Ed though he had freaked out before, he had no idea of how weird he could feel when he stared into eyes that were exact copies of his own and a face that might be his own in twenty years time…

It was his father.

* * *

**AHHH! It's Hohenhime! And Riza might be piecing together Ed's neglectful homelife!**

**So I'm sorry to leave you at this cliffhanger (well...just a little sorry since I like making readers twist around for a while) but it's all part of my master plan. But what I'm _actually _sorry about is the fact that the earliest I'll be able to update again is late on the 17th since I'll be in Florida for six days.**

**Happy Summer! :)**

**-FSK**


	28. An Awkward Reunion

**Hello readers! I'm sorry for the wait but I did warn you that I was going to be in Florida for a week! (and now I have to feel bad for Ed and the others for making the same 22 straight hour trip in a crappy van while I was in a couch bus with AC and comfy seats and I still thought it was horrible!)**

**Florida was freaking awesome though, especially when I got to go to Hogsmeade and go into Hogwarts! It was soooo cool! I got to go into Honeydukes and Zonkos and the Hogs Head and have a major nerdy freak out.**

**Now, last week the anime world was presented with some devestating news...Fullmetal Alchemist...has ended. I would now like to ask for a moment of silence to remember the fucking pure awesome-ness that it was. (I don't care on bit if I sound like a retarded over-dramatic fan-girl here. Go ahead and laugh if you feel like it) *sniff, sniff***

**And now, please enjoy chapter 28!**

* * *

What the Hell was going on? Edward had no clue. Was this man standing before him, one that looked so much like himself almost to a point of craziness, really his… _father?_ Or had the confusion and craziness of the past week finally gotten to him and was he now hallucinating? But the man didn't look like a hallucination at all; he looked one-hundred percent flesh and bone.

Edward's looked back into his eyes and was sure that they both had the same look to them: confusion with great amounts of shock and surprise. But as Edward continued to stare he noticed something else in his supposed father's eyes: happiness and…_relief_?

"Edward…"he said again. "You've, you've gotten taller…?"

"Why does that sound like it's a question?" Ed growled before he could stop it.

"Yo, Ed!" Jean called from inside the Motel room.

Ed could hear him getting up from the couch and begin to walk over to the door. He wanted to close the door behind himself or at least stop Jean somehow, but his mind and body still appeared to be in a state of shock that he just could not snap out of. When Jean finally reached the door, he gripped the edge of the door frame and pushed himself slightly in front of Ed before he looked and froze slightly. Jean looked just as surprise as Ed did for about a moment.

"Whoa," Jean remarked, taking turns to look at both Ed and the man before he turned to Ed and elbowed him on the shoulder and said, "Dude…this is just like an episode of the twilight zone! Ah, man this _cra-zy._"

Ed couldn't help but smile slightly at his friends' extremely relaxed attitude towards things that would most likely be classified as anomalies and then passed them off as something that would happen on a television show.

"So, um," Jean bent down slightly and began to mumbled quietly to Ed. "I guess I should leave you alone for a bit and tell the others to piss off if they want to know wee you are?"

Ed gave Jean a small, but greatly appreciated smile before he nodded slightly. Jean gave him a hard slap on the shoulder before he walked back into the Motel room and shut the door behind him.

_Why the Hell is he here?_

"I uh, guess you're wondering why I'm here Edward."

_Fucking mind-reader._

"But i-it's a rather long story. One that should not be talked about on a door step of-."

"Who are you?" Ed asked before he could stop himself.

He instantly regretted letting his mouth getting the better of him after he saw the expression of sadness and mild hurt cross over the man's face.

"I-I mean," Ed quickly stuttered, wanting to fix his mistake. "I think I _know_ who you are but…but, could you just tell me who you are…just in case I'm wrong?"

The man let out a small sigh of relief before he looked at Edward and said in a voice that sounded strained, "I am you father, Edward."

"That's who I thought you were," Edward said quietly.

And then, the inevitable awkward moment began to wash over the two men as they stood there, looking at anything except each other. Edward couldn't really think of anything productive to say and as his father did not say anything, Ed had to assume that he didn't have anything to say either.

"So…" they both began at the same time.

"Uh, what were you going to-," Ed stuttered.

"Go ahead Edward," Hohenheim said at the same moment.

Both smiled slightly at each other before Ed made a motion that told his father to say what he had meant to say before he interrupted him.

"So Edward, as I was saying, I know I've been gone quite a while. A-and I'm not trying to make excuses!-but I do have reasons as to why I couldn't contact you or your brother for such a long time. I want to talk to you two so, when you're done with your friends, I'd like it if you could bring your brother back to his house and we could talk-."

"How do you know where he lives?"

"That too, I shall tell you later, for it is part of my long story I have to tell you," he said with a small smile. "But, I would rather you come sooner rather than later."

"Why?" Ed asked.

"…it would be for the best if we did this sooner," he answered after a slight pause.

"O-okay."

"Good," he said before he began to turn towards the stairs. "Well then I'll be seeing you two soon-."

"Wait!" Edward shouted, halting his father in his tracks.

"What is it?"

"Don't…don't you want to see Al?"

For a moment, Hohenheim looked slightly caught off guard but then he gave his head a little shake and smile gently at Edward again before he spoke.

"I don't think I'd be a good idea to leave your friends waiting any longer than they already had to; they're probably getting suspicious." And then he turned around and began to walk down a few of he steps. He was almost at the bottom before he turned around to look at Ed, who had stayed in his spot, and said, "Besides, I don't think it'd be a good for Al to have another shock after another in such a short stretch of time."

* * *

"So…_Dad's_ at _my_ house?"

"Yeah."

"And that's who showed up at the Motel?"

"Yup."

"_So why didn't you tell me earlier?_"

Edward was sitting next Al in his car while they drove back to Al's house. An hour had passed after his father had showed up and they were now on their way home. As expected, there was some confusion with in his friends about who had shown up at the door, but Ed was able to quickly gloss over it and change the subject. Ed had wanted to grab Al and follow Hohenheim out into the parking lot and demand for answers right then and there, but he didn't want to appear as if something was wrong. Thankfully, once Russell and Fletcher declared that there own father wanted them home as well, Ed and Al excused themselves to drive the two home and then to Al's house. They were about five minutes away when Ed revealed to Al what was waiting for him at his house.

"I didn't want to panic you-."

"Well too late!" Al exclaimed, causing the car to veer left slightly on the road. "How could I _not_ overreact? I mean, it's our _dad!_"

Edward let out a small sigh as he listened to Al rant. How could he not have realized this wouldn't be a good idea? Hell, how could Hohenheim not realize this wasn't a good idea? Just springing this sort of news onto Al? What was he thinking? But as Al began to pull into, Ed could see his brother freeze at the sight of their father's shadow through the kitchen curtains.

"It's alright," Ed said, turning to Al.

"How do you know?"

"I don't. But you're just gonna have to trust me on this one."

Al gave him a shaky nod before he turned off the car, unbuckled himself, and opened the car door. The night's hot air seemed oddly cool to Ed as he walked with his brother to the side door. Once they reached the door, Al let out a small nervous laugh and turned to Ed, who nodded in encouragement, before he reached out and opened the side door.

"I'm home!"

* * *

"So Jean, who _was_at the door?" Maes asked once it was impossible to see Al's car.

"I couldn't really tell you," Jean said before he lit up another cigarette. "I mean, I didn't know him but…"

"But _what_?" Riza asked in a stern voice.

"I think it was Ed's dad," Jean admitted quietly.

"Wait, _what?_" Roy asked.

"Are you _sure_?" Maes asked.

"Did you even hear him say it was his Dad or not?" Sheska asked.

"How would you even think that?" Winry asked.

"Hey, you would too if you saw that guy," Jean said defensively.

"What do you mean by that?" Roy asked.

"I mean, that…the guy looked a like Ed probably will in about twenty years. That is if Ed grows about another foot," Jean added with a small snort.

"Really?" Winry asked in disbelief.

"Yeah. Guy had same eyes-and you know Ed has some freaky abnormal eyes- same face. Hell, he even had the same hair style; length and all. Almost freaky how much he looked like Ed."

"Well then I think we can assume that Al doesn't know," Maes said.

"But what I want to know," Riza began, "is why this guy just showed up out of the blue like this."

"Yeah and how did he know that Ed would be here?"

"Who knows?" Roy asked. "Ed's life has always been a mystery to us, him included. Maybe his dad's always known where he lived and maybe he just found out about Ed just like how Ed found out about Al."

"So, what are you saying? We should just wait for him to show up?" Sheska asked impatiently.

"Yes," Winry said firmly, looking both at her and Jean. "It's best to stay out of this until he talks to us about it."

"Fine."

The six teens gave each other small looks before they all settled back into their respective seats and resumed watching a movie that no one would remember, all of them being too deep into thought to care about something as trivial as a stupid movie.

* * *

Even though Ed had been telling himself to expect it, he still felt a jolt of confusion when he saw his father sitting calmly at Al's dinning room table with Sig and Izumi; all had cups of tea sitting in front of them and were now staring at the two brothers. Sig was looking just as he always did, like a bear busy deciding whether or not he was going to eat you. Izumi had an odd expression on her face, one the Ed couldn't quite read but it gave him a bad feeling in the pit of his stomach. Hohenheim was smiling awkwardly at Ed and Al; Ed could see him looking over Al for a moment before gaining the same relived and happy expression in his eyes from before. The silence only stopped when Izumi spoke.

"Alphonse, Edward, would you please sit down with us?"

Although Izumi's tone of voice made her question appear less like a question and more like a deadly statement, Ed let out a shaky breath and moved clumsily to the table with Al following behind him. Once they two had sat down, Izumi spoke.

"I can only assume that Edward has told you about his brief meeting at the Motel today Alphonse?"

Al nodded slightly at this statement but kept his eyes focused onto the circular patterns in his wooden table.

"Well, you're father here had some things that he would like to say to you two and I'd think it's be best if you listened to him."

Again, Izumi's voice held no inclination that this statement was up for discussion, but Ed did not want to fight her over it; he wanted and needed answers from the man and there was only one way he could get them answered.

"Alright then," Ed said, staring back into a pair of eyes that were hauntingly similar to his own. "Start."

"Well I have to tell you know that this will be a rather long explanation Edward," Hohenheim said, straightening up in his seat and tightening his hold on his mug.

Edward gave a little stretch in his seat and let out a small yawn before he said, "I've got plenty on time to spare. So start at the beginning."

Edward leaned back into the back of his chair and let his gaze switch from his father, to Izumi, to Sig, and then to Al before restarting the cycle.

"Where to begin, where to begin…" Hohenheim muttered quietly to himself before taking a sip of his drink.

Edward wanted to feel annoyed that this man had asked to speak to both of them as soon as possible and yet he didn't even know where to begin. But at the same time, he couldn't help but feel a bit of pity for the man who had a slightly help less gleam in the corners of his eyes. Was he in trouble or just extremely unsure as to how he should proceed?

"I guess the best place to start would be back almost 20 years ago," Hohenheim began before he redirected his eyes to look back into Ed's. "And it all begins with a man by the name of Zolf J. Kimblee."

* * *

**So Kimblee makes a come back into the story. Next chapter, Hohenheim will reveal much about their sored past together and heads will begin to roll.**

**I promise that next chapter will come much quicker than this one! I already have 1,000 words of it.**

**See you all soon!**

**-FSK**


	29. Talk of the Past

**Hello readers! Thanks for all of your reviews last chapter; they were greatly appreciated.**

**Due to the wait from last chapter, I give you chapter 29 early! So I hope you enjoy it. :)**

* * *

"…it all begins with a man by the name of Zolf J. Kimblee."

Edward stared at his father, confused. Did he really just say what he thought he had just said? How could his father, that had basically been unheard of for the past four years, know about Kimblee? More importantly, how and why would he know about Kimblee almost 20 years before hand?

"What?" Ed asked.

"Who?" Al asked, wearing an expression of obvious confusion; Ed had momentarily forgotten that Al did not really know who Kimblee was, for Ed had only mentioned him once.

"He's my foster parent," Ed reminded his brother.

"What?" Al asked before turning to their father, looking for answers.

"Yes, that is who I am referring to. So, without much more interruptions, I would like to continue. About twenty years ago I began working at this part-time job in between classes and that was where I not only met Kimblee…but your mother as well."

Edward felt something catch in his throat at these words. His own _mother_? That must have meant that Kimblee knew his mother if he knew his father. Suddenly, a memory of a conversation from not too long ago resurfaced in his mind.

"… _Because this is what you get! This is what you and that whore get for running away together!"_

"_Don't you ever dare call my wife a whore!"_

Realization clicked in Edward's mind at this small memory and suddenly, he knew who had been yelling at Kimblee from the other telephone line.

"You where the other person," Ed muttered quietly, staring blankly at Hohenheim.

"What did you say?" Hohenheim asked.

"You, you called Kimblee the day before I left to come and find Al," Ed said, causing a small smile to break out on Hohenheim's face.

"I had a feeling that someone might have been listening on the other line. I was hoping that it might have been you."

"Yeah, it was. But wait, then that means that…" Ed began while his mind drifted off to the same conversation.

"…_You're the one that sent that agent over here weren't you? You almost sent all these kids lose!"_

"_Yes and then they'd finally be able to put their problems behind them and live a good life! Something, because of you, Edwards been denied!"_

His father _had_known where he had been then. And he had tried to save him from Kimblee's fury. But then why wouldn't he simply go to Kimblee personally and take Ed away himself instead of having cops get involved? Hohenheim nodded at Ed's open mouth, as if he knew what part of the conversation Ed was presently thinking about.

"Yes, but let's talk about that later," he added when he saw that Al was about to question what was going on. "So I met Kimblee first, and he seemed normal enough. Clearly a bit on the crazier side of normal but normal enough to go through life undetected. We were co-workers and we got along; both were brilliant young men stuck in a job they were both clearly overqualified for. So we confided in each other and slowly, after a few months, we became something you could call friends, and we stayed that way for some time afterwards. That is, until we got another co-worker; your mother."

Ed could see Hohenheim's story unfolding in his mind like a movie strip with astonishing clarity. There was Kimblee, looking younger but still with the same manic gleam in his eyes, and Hohenheim, who Ed had substituted with himself with a bit of facial hair. He pictured them wearing some sort of store smock while leaning behind counters, clearly board at the monotony of it all. And then, there was the appearance of a pretty young brunette who seemed gentle and pleasant to everyone there. But Ed still couldn't quite piece what had happened next. Had Trisha done something to Kimblee? But Ed could never picture his mother doing anything remotely bad. So what had happened?

"The three of us had gotten along astonishingly well at first. Your mother was kind but smart and sometimes surprisingly witty. I had instantly fallen head over heels for her," Hohenheim said with a small reminiscing smile lingering on his face. "But then, Kimblee beat me to it."

"_You mean she went out with him_?" Ed asked in extreme disgust; he could almost feel the bile rising in his throat at the thought of his own mother and…_Kimblee._

"Unfortunately yes; and for quite a while actually. Everyone in town was shocked. Sweet and innocent Trisha with nasty criminal record Kimblee, no one could really believe it even if they saw it with their own two eyes. But then again, Kimblee was always such a smooth talker; he could get away with anything and get anything he wanted."

Ed could not believe this either. What had his mother ever seen in Kimblee? Ever since Ed had begun to remember his past, he had always pictured his mother as if she had simply come out of the womb as world's best mother. Never had he ever even begun to think that maybe his mother had been, even for one instance, a normal teenager who did things that were clearly stupid.

"…_This is what you and that whore get for running away together!"_

"And you were jealous," Ed realized aloud, causing Hohenheim to shift uncomfortably in his seat. "Because you liked her too but your friend got to her first."

"Yes."

"So you stole her away from Kimblee? And _that's _why he was so mad at you?" Ed asked, almost hoping there was more for it seemed impossible that Kimblee could stay so hung up over something as trivial as his girlfriend getting stolen.

"Well, there's more," Hohenheim added. "You see, when you put two brilliant young minds together your end result will almost always be competition. We always fought to be…_Employee of the Month_ or who could get the most customers or…silly things like that."

"And then you two competed for…my mom?" Ed asked, now feeling thoroughly confused.

"No," Hohenheim answered firmly. "Kimblee mentioned it one time and I said that I was against using someone else's feelings for our silly games. But I'm sure that that idea stayed in the back of both our minds for some time afterwards.

"And then, one day out of the blue, Trisha had actually asked him to drinks after work and we both felt as if the un-said game was finished. Trisha had picked him and I was left in second place leaving Kimblee to enjoy his spoils. But unfortunately, Trisha did not seem read into the game as much as we did. While Trisha saw her and Kimblee as two friends going out for drinks, Kimblee saw Trisha as 'his women' and made that clear to everyone in town who might have wanted her; me included. They fought a bit over that subject but in the end, Trisha decided to give him a chance."

He tried to let it sink into his brain. Kimblee had wanted his mother and so did his father. And then…Kimblee and his mother…_dated._Ed's mind instantly went into picturing steamy dates between the two that made Ed want to puke take-out and beer onto Izumi's clean table top.

"But then," Hohenheim continued with a sigh, "Trisha found out how I felt about her and she was instantly relieved; she had always had a crush on me but didn't think I liked her. Unfortunately, Kimblee's hold on Trisha had tightened in the months or so they had been together. He was now basically monitoring everything she did and grew almost violent during arguments but somehow, he had managed to keep Trisha from not only going to the police but to continue being with him. Again, Kimblee was the smoothest talker in town and I'm sure he would have gotten away even if the police had been called.

"But then, one night…about a year after me and Kimblee had begun working together, our boss had decided to throw a party for whatever reason. But then at the party, Trisha managed to get away long enough from Kimblee to come and talk to me. And when Kimblee didn't come tracking her down…well, one thing led to another and…" Hohenheim began to trail off while his face grew steadily redder. "Well, Kimblee…_caught us_."

_Caught them? _

It took about a minute for what Hohenheim was suggesting to sink into Ed's brain. And when it finally did register in Ed's brain…

…_oh. UGH!_

Ed instantly felt as if the air conditioning had broken and the sun was revolving around his face. He then screwed up his eyes and, for some reason, covered his ears with his hands and stared at his father with a pleading look.

"Okay! I get it! Can we move along then?" Ed shouted in a weak voice.

Izumi and Hohenheim had a small knowing smile on their faces while Al continued to look adorably clueless. Ed was sure that his brother wasn't _that_naïve and only hadn't stooped to the same conclusion Ed had simply because he hadn't been friends with Jean Havoc for years. Al turned to look at Ed, confused and looking for answers. Ed, not wanting to verbally convey what their father was suggesting, tried his best to scream it though his eyes. After a few moments of this, Al's eyes widened into two giant O's and his cheeks reddened.

"Oh," Al squeaked before pointing looking anywhere away from the adults.

"Yes, um," Hohenheim coughed and tried to regain his composure. "So, Kimblee was obviously enraged and well…let's just say that Trisha and I fled the party as fast as humanly possible. But we were worried when Kimblee didn't show up for work the next week and even more worried when I had learned that he had quit. It didn't seem like Kimblee, not at all."

And as Edward thought about it more and more, he agreed with his father. He could hardly imagine what he would feel if he found Roy or Jean fooling around with Winry but Kimble…Kimblee was different than most people. The Kimblee he knew sure as Hell wouldn't have been that affected if someone had stolen his girl. He had seen Kimblee go through a different girl a week first hand.

"And after a while, we stopped worrying about him. We got on with our lives and, well, that is to say, we got on with our lives for only a little bit," Hohenheim added, giving Edward an odd side-long glance. "We soon found out that Trisha was going to be expecting a baby."

_Seriously_, Ed found himself asking, _what the Hell is going on here? My dad knocked my mom up, his best friend's girl? Jean's right- this _is_ like the Twilight Zone._

"So, we quickly decided to settle down, find a place together, getting ready for you. It was hard. We were both so young but…we wanted you."

Hohenheim looked Ed in his eyes for a moment and allowed for those words to sink in. It was as if his father was trying to tell Ed that he had always been wanted but this only made Ed wonder more why he had not seen his father in years if he had been wanted so badly.

"And then, before you knew it, we had Edward and Alphonse, three years had passed by us already and we were in need of a more stable and higher paying job. And that's when I deiced to apply for this laboratory job D.C. I didn't think I would get it, so I applied, not realizing that that kind of job was sought after by so many and given out to so few."

"What kind of job was it Dad?" Al asked, speaking up for one of the first times during this conversation.

"It was a highly classified job that required all of your spare time but I can tell you we did things that may not always have been…agreed on. Sometimes we would be trying to cure obscure diseases, risking lives as we did it, and then some days we may have been trying to come up with the next biological weapon of war. But that job precisely is why I wasn't in your lives as much as I would have liked to be. And it is also why our lives are the way they are today."

Hohenheim stared at his hands that lay folded on the table top for a moment. Edward wanted to know what had happened but he was now beginning to get worried about what had happened next that he wasn't quite sure if he wanted to know.

"And then, about five years after I started working the job, Kimblee arrived there as well. It turns out that he had been accepted into the same job in the same laboratory _and_department as me. It's probably understandable to say that I felt unnerved," Hohenheim added to Edward, who nodded. "Pictures of the four of us on my desk, letters, and the fact that he had chosen a desk right by mine…I have to say it made me feel rather guilty.

"And then one day, he began talking to me as if not a single day had passed since we had started working at the store and the incident with Trisha had never happened. In fact, he acted as if he had never even _met_a Trisha Elric, let alone date her for almost half a year. But I grew suspicious; especially when I begun to catch him staring at all of the pictures I had on my desk."

Edward felt as if someone had begun to snake a skeletal finger up his spin, sending shivers through his body. He felt a mild form of disgust forming in the pit of his stomach at the thought of Kimblee staring at his baby pictures. Kimblee _had_known him before he had been sent into his care. And was this the reason why Kimblee always had treated him the harshest out of all the children there? Because he was the physical clone of the man who had stolen his women years before? It all seemed too weird to be actually happening.

"So what happened next Dad?" Al asked innocently. Ed realized that during all of his thinking, Hohenheim had stopped speaking. Maybe so that he could gather his own thoughts too?

Hohenheim returned to staring at his hands, frustrating Ed slightly; he had to know what happened next. But then Ed caught sight of something in his father's eyes. It was a flash of several emotions in one moment: sadness, pain, grief, regret, and…something else that Ed couldn't quite decipher. Finally, Hohenheim looked up at the digital clock on the microwave and opened his mouth. But what came out only annoyed Ed more than the sight of Kimblee himself.

"Look at the time. It's getting awfully late, why don't you boys go and get some rest?"

"No way!" Ed exclaimed, feeling mutinous. "You started this story and I damn well want to hear the rest!"

But it was not Hohenheim who spoke up to stop him, it was Izumi. She sent Ed a quick glare that told him to shut his mouth before she stood up from her place at the table and looked at the two brothers.

"I think it's best that you listen to your father and get some rest," Izumi said in a quite voice, but Ed heard an undertone in her voice that said she was not one to be fucked with right now. "So go wash up and get to sleep. I promise-we _both_promise," she added, looking at Hohenheim who nodded slightly, "that we will finish this tomorrow. But for now, it's time to sleep."

"Goodnight," Al sighed quietly before getting up from his spot.

When Ed didn't reciprocate his actions, Al gave him a look that could only come from years of knowledge of what happens when one defies Izumi Curtis. Finally, after looking from his father to Izumi to Al, Ed got up from his spot, said a quite 'good night' to all three of them before disappearing with Al up to their room.

"Are you seriously going to tell him what truly happened?" Izumi asked once she heard the soft noises of doors closing upstairs.

"How can't I? You saw how Edward looked when I told him to wait until tomorrow for the rest. I can't _lie_to him or Alphonse. Besides, I'm sure Kimblee would just tell Ed when he got back if he asked just to piss me off and hurt Edward."

"Well what if he chooses to stay_ here_?" Izumi asked after a pause.

"You would do that?" Hohenheim asked quietly, trying his best not o get his hopes up.

"If he asked. But I'm not going to force him to stay here if he doesn't want to Hohenheim and you have to remember that this isn't his home-."

"Well that _place_ isn't a home either!"

"Yes but you have to remember that Edward's friends will still continue to live there if he doesn't and I'll make a bet that his friends have been the only family he's had in years. Would he really abandon them all? I may take in one brat but I'm not taking in the rest of them."

"But do you promise me that if Edward asked you, you would take him in?" Hohenheim asked; Izumi could almost hear the pleading in his voice, causing her to smile slightly at his worries.

"Didn't I already promise you years ago that I would take in both of them?" Izumi reminded him with a smirk. "And seeing as I only ever took in one of them, I feel as if I'm still in your dept."

"Izumi…"

"Don't worry about it. Even if I weren't in your dept, I would still do it. For an old friend."

Izumi got up from the table and left the kitchen with that. Hohenheim gave Sig a small smile and for once, Sig smiled back before standing up, slapping Hohenheim 'lightly' on the shoulders, and departing the kitchen after his wife. After sitting in the semi-dark kitchen for a few more minutes alone, he too got up, rubbed the shoulder Sig had just badly bruised, and left, feeling much more tired than he had in some time.

* * *

The entire house was quiet and calm for everyone was in a deep and peaceful sleep, or so it appeared.

Edward lay in his bed, asleep but trapped in a nightmare of sorts with no way of getting out of it. It was understandable, after hearing all that he had heard that evening but it had nothing to do with this newly acquired knowledge. No. It had everything to do with a memory that had been lodged in the back of his brain for years, waiting, just waiting for the right moment to break out.

_Edward was laying quite peacefully on his bed, seemingly asleep when actually wide awake. He could not sleep, for he was filled with excitement. A letter had arrived that very morning from his father telling him that he was going to be ale to come home earlier than expected; much earlier than usual. He had been gone two months now but was not expected leave time for another month or two. But somehow, he had managed to finish something alarmingly early and this allowed him to come home for a few more days starting next week. His mother had nearly cried, his brother had cheered with excitement while he quietly hid his happiness, for he knew not to get his hopes up when it came to his father. He loved him and his father loved him but due to his job, his reliability wasn't his strongest point. And so, consumed with pent-up excitement, Ed stayed awake._

_CRACK!_

_Edward shot up from bed and quickly looked around his dark room. He had heard something…he knew he did. After slipping on his tennis shoes that lay next to his bed, Ed grabbed onto the first blunt object he could in the dark (a baseball bat), and began to creep slowly towards where he thought he heard the noise._

_Snip…crunch…_

"Shit_…" someone cursed quietly from the living room._

_Edward froze._

A burglar_, Ed thought instantly._

_He tightened his grip on the bat and took a hesitant step towards living room. But no one was there…Ed let out a sigh before he froze again. In the window, Ed swore he saw a person cross it in a flash. Even though it was dark, both outside and inside the house, Ed could make out a few distinguishing details due to a small spark of light coming from a flickering streetlamp outside: long dark hair pulled back into a pony tail, pale skin, dark eyes, and a wicked grin. _

_And that was the last thing Edward saw before a small explosion went off in the next room, causing much of the neighboring wall to catch on fire._

_There were screams and shouts of names and questions as to what had happened, panicked scuffles and foot steps along with the shrieking of the fire alarm but Edward barley heard or recognized any of these noises, due to the spreading pain and heat that seared through his right arm and left leg. Before his eyes fluttered close, Ed's mind went back to the dark-haired person he caught creeping outside moments ago._

* * *

**Oh snap. Who was outside that night? What does Hohenheim not want to tell Ed and Al? And when were Hohenheim and Izumi friends? Hmm... Review plenty and some, if not all, of these questions will be answered in chapter 30.**

***Announcement*I have put up a new story. It's just about the pictures at the end of chapter 108. I only have the first chapter up so far but I plan to do all of the pictures, if not the important ones. So check it out and send me a review!**

***Double Announcement* I'm also planning on putting up another FMA story soon. It's basically a war story set in a slight alternate universe. It will have eventual EdWin and has some Rose bashing in the first few chapters before the actual war stuff happens. So, please also check that out once I have it up.**

**Thanks!**

**-FSK**


	30. A Sleepless Night

**AH! Chapter 30!**

**I'm sorry if this took a while but it's all to do with the fact that I have no Internet. I'm using the public library's Internet as I write this. So no one think that I'm ignoring you or anything, I just can't do anything except take a 15 minute walk and hope there's an empty computer!**

**I'm sorry if there are a million grammar mistakes but the library computers have time limits and I'm running out of time!**

* * *

Edward shot up from his bed, panting and covered in a thin sheet of sweat. He had just awakened from a nightmare about…_something._ Something that he couldn't quite remember anymore and it pissed him off. How could he forget if it woke him up this badly? Ed quickly tried to remember what had happened.

He was in it, and…was Al in it? He couldn't remember. It had been at his old house but he could distinctly remember there was something mentioned about his father. Had he been there or had he just left? However, he did not remember his mother being in the dream at all instead he remembered the appearance of another. Long dark hair, dark eyes and an evil grin.

_Kimblee?_

Ed shook his head slightly. No, even if Kimblee _was_ in his dreams it was just because of what had been talked about tonight, right? It was understandable to have his family and him on his mind right before he fell asleep, so he dreamt of them. But then why was there an explosion? And why was Ed overcome with the sensation of Déjà vu?

_Whatever…all of this is giving me a major headache,_ Ed thought as he tossed his blankets off of his body.

Ed swung his legs over the side of his bed and placed them on the floor, his flesh foot landing on something. After a moment of rummaging around in the dark, Ed's hands landed on the cool, hard plastic of his cell phone.

**7 missed calls**

A large ball of guilt began to form in the pit of his stomach once he recognized the numbers of the missed calls. Sammy and Terry had called him over the course of his stay here. Ed glanced at the time; it was almost four in the morning and was most likely too late to call the younger kids. Sighing quietly, Ed decided to check his voice mail and hoped that there wasn't any important reason that they were calling him.

_Seven voicemails. _

"_Hey Eddy…it's Sammy, um, I hope you're having fun with your brother…me and Kyle and Terry are all aright. But call me back as soon as you can, okay? I understand that you're busy with- Al was it?-but just call me. Please don't worry because we're all okay, Kimblee seems to just ignore us so…love you! Bye."_

The next two messages were also from Sammy and of similar rambling speech. The lack of worry in her voice slightly assuaged the feeling in his stomach, but it didn't go away completely.

_"Hey Ed. You know if you're going to tell us to call you whenever, it'd be nice if you actually picked up."_

It was Terry

_"Anyways, Kyle's starting to really miss you so maybe you should call and talk to him a bit. The poor kid keeps trying to crawl into bed with me or Sammy. But I'm good, Sammy's good, a bit on the crazy side whenever we make a mess but then again that's her mom side for you. I hope you found your brother and are having an awesome time in freaking Florida you lucky bastard. In case you care, Kimblee's been bitching non-stop about you so if I were you I'd watch my back when I got back. But, I got to go 'cuz it's dinner time and Sammy's yelling at me. Talk to you later."_

Both Sammy and Terry had called him and left a message telling him to either call back later to pick up the phones already. Everything appeared to be fine until he reached the last two messages. It was Sammy to call him both times.

"_Uh hey, Ed. I was wondering-although I'm sure you haven't-if you had heard anything from Kimblee? He left the house yesterday sounding really mad-he didn't hit any of us-but, well it's just that we haven't heard anything of him since and it's been almost a whole day know. Terry keeps making fun of me because I'm getting a bit worried; He keeps saying that hopefully he drove off a cliff and died. Well, I guess I should go now so that I can smack Terry for making faces at me while I'm saying this. Bye-bye."_

He took a deep, calming breath before he listened to the last voicemail. This time there was no pleasant banter from her, no ramblings, only a worried tone that made Ed feel sick to his stomach.

_"You…you haven't heard anything from Kyle, have you? Um, well I don't want to panic you but…we can't find him."_

Edward felt his stomach drop and his heart felt as if it had stopped for a minute. Kyle was…_lost? Missing?_ No. They simply had not looked hard enough. Ed knew that they had called him before they had even started to really look for him. They were young kids who were panicking, nothing to really worry about. He was sure that Kyle was at a friend's house that they didn't know or he was sleeping over a house and his note got knocked off the kitchen table. It was something simple, right?

_"We've been looking for the past two hours and…we can't find him."_

Sammy's voice began to wobble and crack at these last words and it felt as if Ed's heart was about to shatter. He could not stand to hear any of the kids sound like this.

_"Terry went out to try and look for him about a half an hour ago but…it's getting late and…he told me to stay here in case Kyle came home. Hopefully he's just at a friends house or something and they didn't realize the time…But, don't come driving back just because of this. I didn't mean to ruin your fun by telling you this; I just thought it was best to tell you. Good night."_

Edward quickly rechecked the time of the last call. It was from about nine o'clock from the previous day. There was no call after this and Ed only hoped that this was a case of no news being good news. After a minute of debating, Ed decided not to try and call them this late. Even if Sammy or Terry were sleeping with their cell phones, he didn't want to disturb them during their sleep. After setting his phone onto his bedside table, Ed flopped back onto his bed and tried to fall back into sleep. But when he finally would fall asleep, his dreams would be plagued with visions of black-haired men running from explosions while his father, Terry, and Sammy busied themselves with looking for Kyle before it would all end in a colossal explosion.

* * *

Jean leaned over the Motel railing before placing a cigarette between his lips and lighting it. The others were inside, asleep if not close to it, but he busy was indulging his nicotine addiction.

"Hey."

Jean looked over his shoulder and saw Roy standing in the doorway of the Motel room. After carefully closing the door behind him, Roy walked over to Jean, and took his place right next to him.

"Hey," Jean mumbled back, while fumbling with his lighter. "What's up?"

"Nothing," Roy answered before snatching a cigarette from Jean's pack. "Can I have a light?"

"Sure," Jean grumbled. "So why are you out here?"

"Can't sleep," Roy muttered before taking another drag from his cigarette. "I kept thinking about Ed's dad."

"Yeah, it is kinda weird that he just showed up like this but what can we do? It's not like we can barge into Al's place and tell him to tell us things that don't involve us."

"I know. But don't you think it's more than a coincidence that he just _shows_ _up_ out of the blue? Just after Ed meets up with Al? He's been missing for years hasn't he?"

"It's crazy and yes, I think it's more than a coincidence. Someone had to have contacted him and told him where Ed and Al were."

"But who else could have known where Ed was?" Roy asked while he ground his cigarette bud into the railing. "The only people who know Ed here are the people in the room behind us, our parent's, and Ed's foster siblings. Who the Hell could have tipped off a man who's been missing for years?"

"Don't forget that Al's foster parents know that Ed's here too," Jean reminded him.

"But they just met Ed, how could they know if he was coming or not-?"

"They don't have to know when he's coming. Listen, I was talking to Al and he said that his foster mom Izumi is was like, wicked famous and well known with a bunch of relatively famous people a long time ago."

"Why? She's… a _housewife_."

"Yeah, I don't know but Al said that she was. Maybe she met their dad years ago and knew where he'd be now and called to say that 'Hey, both your children are living in my house'."

"That's crazy."

"Well it's the best guess I've come up with and I don't see you coming up with any good ideas. So if you have a problem with my idea, let's hear yours Mustang."

"…fuck off," Roy said before giving Jean a quick jab in the arm. "I'm going to bed."

"Night."

"See ya."

* * *

Hohenheim could not sleep and it was understandable; it was a busy day today and even though his body felt the fatigue, his mind was wide awake, too busy recounting days long past to sleep. He thought of his old, unhinged co-worker and how he had changed his entire life. He thought of his children and his wife, who he still loved as much as the day he had met her. Many memories stuck out in his mind, but one seemed to step out to the very forefront. It was one from years ago but it still felt clear as day to Hohenheim's filled brain.

_Knock. Knock._

Hohenheim turned his head and saw Izumi standing in the doorway. Her own body showed signs of weakness but her eyes were alert as ever.

"What is it?" Hohenheim asked pleasantly as he got up from his bed.

"Damn stomach kept waking me up," Izumi answered with a small smile. "Just decided to see if I could take a walk to get rid of it."

"Or you could be sensible and have a professional take a look at it."

"I just went for a check up last week for your information. And those bank robbers' people seem to call doctors prescribed about ten different procedures and medication treatments I could take on top of the medication I already take to help with the pain. They do that every single time I go for a check up."

"I'll assume that you gave them one of your customary warnings then?" he asked with a small smile.

"They called security on me; not like I couldn't take them all done even in the state I was in."

"You should take it easy though. You don't want to end up in the hospital, being forced to take all of those procedures."

"I'm not that weak."

"Yes but you have a household to watch. From what I hear, Alphonse it's the best cook or cleaner around."

"I'm working on that," Izumi said before quietly adding, "He's a good kid though."

"I'm very pleased to hear that. Thank you for taking care of him."

"Like we said before, I made a promise to you and I intend to keep my promises. You saved my life so I'll take care of another."

"I know, but I just can't help but feel a bit bothersome for making you take care of him-."

"_Hohenheim,"_ Izumi growled. "We didn't _have_ to do anything. I could have broken your promise and let him be shipped off anywhere in the country. But I took him, because _I wanted him_."

"You're contradicting yourself," Hohenheim warned with a grin. "You said that you intend to keep your promises and yet you just said that you could have broken my promise."

"I only ever make promises with people I want to make promises with," she said after a pause.

"Of course you do," Hohenheim yawned.

"It's getting awfully late. I should try and lay down for a bit more. Honey wants to get to the shop early to get ready for our new shipment and since his cars in the shop, I have to drive him."

"Why not have Al drive him instead?"

"Any other time I would-trust me. But I feel like being generous and letting the kid sleep in for once. Good night Hohenheim."

"Goodnight."

* * *

Ed's eye cracked open as more and more sunlight slowly seeped into his room. The clock said that it was just past nine in the morning but his brain felt sluggish as if he had slept past two in the afternoon. Stretching slightly, Ed grabbed his phone and dialed Sammy's number. It rang but no one picked up, infuriating and worrying Ed at the same time. Sighing lightly, he left a message:

"Hey Sammy. I got yours and Terry's messages last night; sorry I couldn't get a chance to call before hand but I've been pretty busy. But I wanted to know if you found Kyle yet because I need to know so I would rather you tell me and maybe cut my vacation short than come back and find out he's still missing. Um…you should try the playground and the arcade-both of them, even the one on the far side of town. Don't hesitate to call and I promise I'll pick up. Well…I think I'll call Terry's cell and see if he'll pick up. Please call me as soon as you can; bye."

Ed tried Terry's but found it too unsuccessful and decided to leave a similar message on his phone. He thought about calling the very much neglected house phone but decided not to, since Kimblee used it the most and he defiantly did not want to have to talk to Kimblee right now.

Ed then laid back down on his bed and began to slowly massage his newly forming headache.

_Well,_ Ed thought, _things probably can't get much worse than this._

Unfortunately for Edward, things can and would get worse, much worse but it was already too late to stop it from happening. In twenty-four hours time, all Hell would have broken loose.

* * *

**Dun-dun-DUUH!**

**I'm sorry to leave you here but I have to. I'll try and update again before I leave for a trip to Washington D.C. but I'm not sure if I'll be able to.**

**Please review! They make me happy!**

**-FSK**


	31. A Conversation Overheard

**MY COMPUTER IS COMPLETELY FIXED!**

**Sorry for the wait but as I said before, my computer's been busted and I haven't had a chance to really write but now my updates will be back to normal. **

**Just a word of warning, I did not edit this at all and it's probably bad but I have to be somewhere in five minutes and I'm not even dress!**

* * *

If the was one word that could be used to describe the mood at the breakfast table that morning, it would be tense. Izumi ate her breakfast, unaffected by the looks that the older teen was giving his father. The father seemed cool and collected on the outside but inside he was a mess while debating over what he should do with his sons. Finally, Al spoke up.

"Dad?"

"Yes Alphonse?"

"Were you planning on…are you going to tell us the rest of your story?"

Hohenheim chose not to look up from his plate for a moment because he knew that he would only meet a pair of glaring eyes that would make him do something he would probably regret.

"I would like to Alphonse," Hohenheim said after a pregnant pause. "But whether that is a good idea or not, I'm not quite sure."

"Why isn't it a good idea?" Ed asked in a commanding voice.

"Because, Edward, there are some things that might just be better left unsaid."

"But what if I need to know what happens? I'm going to guess that Kimblee is involved in the last part right? Well, incase you forgot, I _live_ with him and there are three _younger_ kids who live in the same house as him as well. So maybe I should know if he's going to-I don't know-blow up the house if one of them scuffs up his shoes."

Hohenheim visibly flinched at the last sentence. Did he find out what had truly happened, or was it a coincidence that Ed chose those precise words; Hohenheim had to know.

"What makes you say that Edward?"

"Say what?"

"Never mind."

"No. Why did you ask that?" Ed barked, now almost completely out of his chair.

Al's eyes flew from his brother to his father to his foster mother who appeared to be deciding over what to do. Truthfully, he did want to know what had happened but he didn't want to _force_ it out of his father.

"Come one _old man_, explain why you asked that. And while you're at it, how about you tell me what you're trying to hide from us. We do have a right. I mean, it's the least you could do after you practically abandoned-."

Edward would not finish his sentence or to be more precise, Edward _could not_finish his sentence. This was because Izumi had appeared to have decided what to do and chose to ram her fist into the side of Ed's face. Ed fell out of his chair from both the force and the shock while Al and Hohenheim stood up to peer over the table and see the damage that Izumi had done.

"That should teach you to use a more respectful tone when talking to your elders, _runt_."

"I am _not_ a runt you-!"

After another few hits to his body from Izumi's powerful fists, Ed submitted and shut up but it didn't stop him from shooting his father looks of annoyance as he pulled himself back into a standing position.

"I'm leaving," he growled while nursing his bruised cheeks in his cool automail hand.

"Where do you think you're running off to?" Izumi asked while buttering a slice of toast.

"My room."

"You haven't been excused. Now sit."

"But-."

"_Sit_."

"May I be excused then-?"

"No. _Sit. Down."_

After muttering several profanities, Ed fell back into his seat and turned his glaring eyes back onto his father. Ed would not let this conversation escape; he would find out what his father was hiding, it would take only a matter of time, proper coaxing, and, for once, some patience.

* * *

_"Hello?"_

"Win?"

"_Ed! What's up?"_

After spending another hour sitting at the breakfast and not eating anything, Ed was allowed to go back into his room and stew in his foul mood. Thoughts of his father, Kimblee, and the innocent foster children kept floating in and out of his brain, leaving him in a thick haze that he couldn't seem to shake away. Finally Ed gave up on thinking things through by himself and decided to actually lean on a friend.

"Um…"

But now that he was actually going to ask for help, he had absolutely no idea what to say to her. Sure they had talked about his home life a bit here and there but…nothing really about his past.

"_Edward? Are you still there?"_

"Yeah Winry," Ed let out a small sigh and decided to go for broke. "Listen, last night I got a huge fucking bombshell dropped on me and I don't know what the fuck to do and I could use some of your practical thinking."

"_Wow, I think you just complimented me,_" Winry said with fake awe in her voice.

"Shut up. But really, I need to talk to you. Are the others nearby?"

"_Ed, think about it; we are in a one room motel room that's about the size of Roy's closet and there are seven people smashed into it. What do you think my answer is?"_

"A little less sarcasm would be nice right about now," Ed growled. "Well can you go somewhere that _isn't_ so crowded?"

"Maybe if you said it a bit nicer," Winry muttered.

"_Please_?" Ed asked in a tone that did not sound remotely nicer than the voice prior.

"_Thank you. Hold on, let me get into my car."_

"_Where are you going Winry?" _Ed heard Jean shout from the background.

"_Somewhere to escape all of your cigarette smoke!"_Winry shouted before Ed heard a distinct door slam. _"Okay, I'm in my van. But before you start, I have a question for you."_

"What is it?"

"…_was that your _Dad_ that showed up here?"_

"Actually it was. And that's one of my problems that I have to talk to you about Win."

"_Well okay, go on."_

Edward sat there in an almost helpless state for several moments. How should he start this? More importantly, what would he even start with? There was so much ground to cover and all of it seemed to be fighting for the top spot of importance. He decided to start as his father had started and recount how his father and Kimblee had been friends at their work some eighteen years prior before his mother showed up. He recounted how his mother dated Kimblee and the said, in minor detail, how Hohenheim had been infatuated with his mother since the beginning and how Kimblee had caught them. Lastly he told Winry how after years of nothing, Kimblee had showed up at the same lab as Hohenheim and acted unusually calm. He mentioned how Hohenheim refused to tell him more and the fight at breakfast but then he couldn't go on any longer. How was he supposed to tell her that Kyle might be missing?

"_Well that does seem to be one big bombshell,_" Winry said after a long pause. "_Is there anything else?"_

Edward had to try to suppress his grin; she knew him too well.

"Yeah but…"

"_Just tell me okay Ed?"_

Ed nodded his head but it took him another moment to realize that Winry was on the other line of the phone and not in his room to see this motion. He let out a long breath before he dived back into the conversation.

"I got some calls from Sammy and Terry."

"_What's wrong_?" Winry asked in an urgent voice.

"There's a problem."

"_What is it?"_Winry's voice had taken a bit more of a worried tone this time.

"Sammy said that…well, they can't find Kyle."

"_What do you mean they can't find Kyle?"_

"I-I'm not sure! I think they think he's missing but, but he's got to be at someone's house or something, right?"

"_Did you call them back?"_

"Yeah I did but they didn't call me back. I was gong to call them after this."

"_Well do you want me to get off…?"_

"No. I need to tell you something else. My dad won't tell me what else happened with him and I need to know. Sammy, Terry, and Kyle are with him _right now_. What if he snaps or something?"

"_Edward, you should go tell your father this. I'm sure eh would be a little more willing to tell you if he knew and understood what's going on in your head right now."_

"I guess but Izumi's always there, watching me like a hawk and punches me if she thinks I'm going to even make a mention of it!"

"_Just try Ed. You need to talk to him."_

"I'll try."

"_Good. But I got to go because I'm sure Roy and Jean are wondering why I left."_

"Nosey bastards."

"_Bye."_

"Bye."

Ed ended the call before he hit the number three speed dial and hoped for Sammy to pick it up; it didn't. After leaving a quick voicemail, Ed tried to call Terry but got the same answer. Feeling a bit of panic squirm in his stomach, Ed checked his voicemails but ended up throwing his phones across the room when he found that he had none.

_No news is good news. No news is good news,_ Ed continued to repeat this mantra in his head for several more minutes. _They lost their cell phones. They're out playing and they put them on silent and they can't hear them or something…_

Ed's eyes flew back to his phone and forced himself to not check his phone. He had to relax. He was just overreacting like any protective sibling should, right?

* * *

"And where are you two going?" Riza snapped when she saw Roy and Jean moving stealthily to the front door of the Motel.

"Going for a smoke," Jean invented quickly, holding up a lighter and a fresh cigarette in the one hand while the other moved towards the door knob.

"Yeah right," Sheska snorted. "You too look guiltier than a three-year-old with a hand in a cookie jar.

"But you see," Roy said, "we aren't guilty. You just automatically _assume_ that we're up to no good when in reality we're just being nice people and choosing to smoke in a less public environment."

"You see Riza, they're just being nice!" Maes exclaimed with a knowing smile. "It's not like they're gonna go and try to sneak in on Winry's conversation or anything."

Roy glared at his friend, who only smiled back in return.

"Seriously, just stay in here alright?" Riza barked. "How would you like it if everyone tried to break into all of your conversations?"

"Actually I wouldn't mind," Roy said. "In fact, I say that from no on all calls are put on speaker."

"Second!" Jean yelled. "Let's go inform Winry of this new rule."

"Good idea!"

The two had barley even set a foot out the door before Riza's hands had gripped onto the backs of their shirts and was tugging them inside and snarling words at them.

"Riza! We were _kidding!_" Jean cried.

"Do you really think we're _that _stupid? Don't answer that," Roy added quickly.

"We promise we're just going out for some fresh air and a smoke. We've been trapped in this place for days and I'm getting really sick of the combination smell of B.O., perfume, smoke, and booze that's been ruminating in here."

Riza looked the two teens over, not quite sure if she should believe them or not.

"You'll stand right in front of the window," Riza instructed while pointing to the large dirty window.

"Sure."

"Whatever."

"Go."

The two teens leaned over the metal railings that were directly in front of the large window. Roy and Jean were sure that if they were to turn around, Riza's deadly gaze would be staring right back at them and they didn't wan to chance anything, so they decided to talk in a whisper.

"Can you hear anything she's saying?" Jean mumbled while he pretended to be fixed on his metal lighter.

"Nope. What do you think they're talking about?"

"Probably nothing really important. I mean, Ed asks for help or confides in his friends once in a blue moon and he did that like, three times in the past two weeks. He must just be telling her sweet nothings or something."

"I don't know. I mean," Roy let his voice drop even lower, "Winry's always known about Kimblee and how he'd hurt him and the kids. She's probably the only person here who knows everything that's been going on with his life."

"But why the Hell would they be talking about Kimblee? I mean, what would he have to do with any of Ed's actual family?"

"Maybe he's just worried about the kids. Understandable and all since Kimblee's punching bag is now on the other side of the country; he would want to know if he moved his sights onto another kid and the only person he could confide to is Winry."

"I guess."

The two lite up another cigarette but neither spoke. Unfortunately they're eyes were so busy being fixate on the old red van, that they did not notice they door had been left opened slightly and that someone had just heard everything that had been said between the two.

* * *

**Sorry for the cliffhanger but I had to end it here.**

**I'll try to update as soon as I can! Please leave me a review!**

**-FSK **


	32. New Information

**YAY! OVER 400 REVIEWS!**

**DOUBLE YAY! I GOT MY DRIVING TEMPS!**

**But thanks for the reviews last chapter and I'm sorry I couldn't get this sooner but...my computer kinda...got bustd again. But it's fixed! So hopefully it'll stay fixed. *glares at the computer***

**So i was reading the reviews for last chapter and a few of you seemed confused about something. The red van that was in the parking lot was the one that they used to drive to get Al and Winry was inside of it, talking to Ed. That's why Roy and Jean were wondering what was going on. So, I hope that clarified a few things.**

**On to the chapter!**

* * *

"_I don't know. I mean," Roy let his voice drop even lower, "Winry's always known about Kimblee and how he'd hurt him and the kids. She's probably the only person here who knows everything that's been going on with his life."_

Ivy eyes blinked in confusion at these words but their ears continued to listen, hoping for some sort of clarification.

"_But why the Hell would they be talking about Kimblee? I mean, what would he have to do with any of Ed's actual family?"_

"_Maybe he's just worried about the kids. Understandable and all since Kimblee's punching bag is now on the other side of the country; he would want to know if he moved his sights onto another kid and the only person he could confide to is Winry."_

"_I guess."_

Maes continued to stand in his place, frozen in confusion and worry about what he had just overheard. Everything that Roy and Jean had said was mashing around in his brain, not really making any sense at all to him.

…_Kimblee's punching bag is now on the other side of the country? Why would he have a…punching bag? _Maes thought in confusion. _But Roy said that Winry's always known about Kimblee and how he'd hurt him and the kids. Him? Who are they talking about…?_

Maes was so deep in his messed up thoughts that he did not hear two pairs of feet moving towards the door and before he knew it, he was looking in the dark eyes of Roy Mustang.

"Uh, hey Maes," Roy said in an uneasy voice. "Why're you standing here?"

Maes did not answer him but continued to look from Roy to Jean in not only confusion but fear as he mind slowly pieced everything they had said together. And it painted one horrible picture in Maes' mind.

"H-how long were you standing there?" Jean asked while he quickly stuck on another cigarette.

"Long enough to find out what Ed's been hiding from us," Maes answered in an unusually emotionless voice.

Roy and Jean stared at each other, horrified that they had just let the secret they knew, and weren't supposed to know, pass to another person. Together, Roy and Jean reached out and pulled Maes through the door and slammed it behind Maes.

"Maes, you have to understand that you can't tell-." Roy began in a panic before he was cut off.

"What do you mean I can't tell?" Maes asked while staring at Roy as if he had no clue who Roy was. "Did Ed tell you not to tell? And why do you two know?"

"It's long story," Jean said.

"Well I think I've got some fucking spare time," Maes growled. "So talk."

"Not here. We can't here-."

"Yes you can. If you can talk about it over some smokes, then I think you can talk for a bit more."

"But Riza and Shes-."

"Forget about them. Tell me."

"Well…" Roy started, looking helplessly to Jean who gave a small shrug. "It's not really our business to tell. Ed didn't tell us so…I don't think we should repeat it."

"Well then why do you know?" Maes asked, folding his arms across his chest and leaning against the building.

"We-well I- kinda found out on my own," Roy confessed before adding, "by accident."

"And Roy kinda…accidentally mentioned it to me and then I talked to Winry about it and she said not to tell anyone else."

"What did I say not to tell anyone else about?"

Roy and Jean turned around and to their increasing horror, saw Winry standing there with her closed cell phone in hand. She looked almost as confused as Maes did moments ago. Roy and Jean sent each other a serious of frantic looks in a matter of moments before Winry became fed up with the lack of answers.

"What are you guys talking about?" she growled, forcing the boys to stop.

"Uh."

"Well?"

"Winry," Maes said, pushing past his two stuttering friends until he was right in front of her. "I know it's not place to ask but, what goes on at Ed's home?"

Winry blinked in confusion at Maes for a moment before her thoughts seemed to come together and realization dawned across her face. Her blue eyes glared at Jean and Roy before softening ever so slightly when she turned back to Maes.

"You're quite right-it's not your place to ask or know. These two numbskulls shouldn't know either."

"But Winry," Maes said, his eyes intensifying, "you know me; I have to know now and not just for the sake of knowing."

"I know Maes," Winry sighed, suddenly feeling irritated that she had such caring friends. "But…_I can't_."

"Can you at least tell me something? Anything."

Winry stared down at her shoes before she went and leaned against the hand rails, feeling confused and slightly overwhelmed. She shouldn't continue to spread personal secrets that weren't hers to tell, especially when the owner of said secrets would become furious with her if he were to ever find out about it.

"I can't," Winry said weakly. "Ed would already be furious with me if he found out that I told even more people."

"But-."

"Go ask him yourself," Winry said before opening up the Motel room door and disappearing inside.

* * *

_I should tell him. Tell him, so that he'll realize why I _have_ to know what happened._

Edward had been lying stretched out on his bed, thinking of what his next move should be, for nearly an hour now. His father was out of the house right now with Izumi and Sig and Alphonse was out with Russell and Fletcher, leaving Edward home alone and horribly confused. Al seemed slightly down when he declined the invitation to go to the movies with his friends but Ed was sure that he could not deal with people at the moment.

"I need to tell him," Edward said aloud for the first time; his throat felt hoarse from keeping silenced for so long but kept repeating the words to himself.

* * *

"Dad?"

Hohenheim had returned form his trip with Izumi and Sig about thirty minutes ago and was now sitting in his room, reading. He looked up at his son with a slightly surprised look in his eyes before he smiled slightly at his oldest son.

"What is it Edward?"

"I really need to talk to you."

"About what?"

"You know what."

"Edward I-."

"But before you go on saying why you _shouldn't_ tell me, I'll tell you why you _should_."

Edward walked across the room and sat down on the edge of the bed. For a moment, there was silence between the two as Edward tried to get his thoughts into some sort of order.

"I'll just assume that you do know what Kimblee's done," Ed said at first as he stared down at the bed spread. "You know, since you called and he practically screamed it at you."

"…I do."

"Well then I'll have to explain a lot less. I think you should tell me what the end of your story is because I need to know. And not just for me but for the other kids who are stuck with Kimblee right now. I need to know what he's capable of."

Hohenheim had placed his book onto the bedside table and stared into his son's eyes. He should tell Edward but…he couldn't. Not because he did not think it was right or because he did not want to but, he just could not get the words out of his mouth. As Hohenheim began to shake his head, Edward's eye took on an odd pleading look.

"_Please_."

_It's something he needs to know Hohenheim_, said a voice in his head that sounded strangely like his late wife. _It doesn't matter that you don't want to; Edward's practically a grown up now, he can handle it._

Hohenheim took a deep breath and clenched his fists before he opened his mouth.

"Like you guess, Kimblee is involved but I'll get back where I ended. Kimblee and I started to become friends again, although I was always watching him incase something were to happen," he paused to take a deep breath before he ran a few fingers through his hair. "I didn't keep a good enough eye on him though. When you were twelve I went on a brief trip home to see you three."

"I remember that!" Ed exclaimed, thinking of how nervous but excited he had been to spend alone time with his father.

"Yes," he said with another brief smile. "That was a nice trip but in case you didn't remember, that was the last time I ever got to visit home. When I returned, I found out that Kimblee had asked for some sort of emergency leave, which I couldn't quite understand because he had no real family. A month later…"

Hohenheim's voice began to waver at this point he dropped his son's gaze. He did not know if he could do this all now that he had finally reached this point. I just hurt him too much.

"A month later…I got the news that, that…T-Trisha had died in a house fire and that you were badly injured by the accident."

At this point, Hohenheim had to pinch the bridge of his nose and force his eyes shut so that he could stop the tears that were quickly forming in his eyes. He was glad that Edward was not pressing him to continue.

"I wanted to leave and take care of you but…leaving turned out to be not as simple as I had hoped. They would not let me leave so soon say that I had just had a leave and that they would need a lot of time before they could come up with a replacement for me. Alphonse had recovered soon after the accident with only some temporary memory loss and was discharged. You however were very ill and close to death."

Edward nodded at this. He had heard several times by his nurses, doctors, and physical therapists that he could have easily died in the accident and should be considered lucky.

"There was a big talk of weather it'd be best for you to keep your limbs or if they should amputate them and give you prosthetics. At first, I was informed that only half of your left leg would be amputated but it turns out that your right arm wasn't doing very well with healing either and needed to be amputated."

Edward continued to stare at the bed, thinking. This must have all happened during the first month or two in the hospital stay when he was hardly awake for more than five minutes a day and barley even remembered his first name.

"During this time I was trying to get out of work but I couldn't and Alphonse needed to be placed in some sort care but both me and your mother had no family to take care of him and so I called the only person I could hope to take care of him. I called Izumi Curtis."

"What?"

"We had met when I had to come down to Florida for work. I met her and her husband on the way to the hospital. She was very sick and no medicine could really help her. So I told them that I could get my hands on an experimental drug that might help her. I had been working on the drug at work and I was at a medical conference with some other representatives of my work to show it off. I snuck some of the drug away and stopped by to take care of her; the drug worked and she felt instantly as if she owed me some big answer. I told her instantly that the only things that I cared about were my children and wife and after some long conversations and getting to know each other, she agreed that if the occasion were to occur, she would take you both in.

"She agreed to take care of Alphonse and he was quickly sent away to live with them for the time being while you stayed at the hospital for several more months. But when I had finally gotten some sort of leave, I found out that someone had taken you ad claimed that they were your guardian. After years of investigating, I found out who had done it."

"Kimblee," Ed said nodding.

"Yes but that's only part of it, the part that I didn't mind telling you," Hohenheim added before taking another steadying breath. "During my investigations, I had also found out who had caused the accident."

Edward was practically on the edge of his seat at this point. He was holding his breath and his heart felt as if it was pounding a mile a minute while his brain worked furiously to come up with an answer that could make sense.

"Who was it?" Edward asked after a full minute had passed by without any answer.

"Come on Edward, you're smart. Who is the person that had always been the center of my story? Who is the reason for your worrying about the kids at home? Who is the person who personally took you from me at the hospital for his own sick revenge plan?"

Neither of the men said the name of the man but knew it in an instant.

Rage quickly filled Edward's body at the thought of the man who had caused it all and it blew all other feelings out of his body and leaving only that feeling in his place. The man who had caused Edward's life to be the way it was now had taken him in when he was weak and defenseless, had threatened a young girl into not informing the police of his brutal acts, had terrified a couple of kids into submission, and had even tried to kill innocent people for revenge.

Zolf J. Kimblee had wrecked Edward's life over and over again and it all started when he killed his mother in the explosion that he had caused.

* * *

**Okay, now I want to hear who honestly did not see that coming, becuase I thought that I gave you guys a few hints. I also want to know if anyone does not like how Kimblee bumped off Trisha becuase I know he might be acting a bit OOC here.**

**Please review becuase they make me super happy!**

**-FSK**


	33. Betrayal of Trust

**Hey readers!**

**Here's chapter 33 a bit earlier than I expected to put it up! Now, let's read and see how Ed reacts to the news. I wrote the first part of the chapter right after I uploaded chapter 32 and I'm glad about how it turned out!**

* * *

Edward Elric was not sure if he had ever felt rage as strong as this before. Sure, he had felt this feeling multiple times and usually it was directed at the same person as it was now but never to this magnitude. His body visibly shook with the contained hate and his vision even started to haze at the mere thought of the man who had destroyed his life in one master swoop.

"Edward," his father said in a voice that sounded very far away to Edward.

He ignored him. His fists clenched tightly until there was no possibility of them getting tighter while he felt something build inside of his chest. Something similar to a bomb, slowly building more and more, griping all of the anger for that man that he had ever held until Edward was ready to explode with it.

"Edward," he repeated again, sounding worried this time but still far away.

Finally, Ed picked his head up so he was staring in his father's eyes but his eyes weren't actually focused on his father. No. They were focused on the imagine of Kimblee, smirking and laughing at the pain that Ed was feeling at the moment and glad that he had done it to him. He had to do something. He had no clue how or what he would do but he needed to do something to get the bomb of emotions out of his chest.

Quickly, Ed sprung up from the bed and began to run for the door, noting slightly that his father's own footsteps were pounding right behind his as he called out his name.

What the Hells going on? Izumi cried as Ed stormed down the stairs and towards the front door. He did not hear if his father had yelled anything back to her but Ed did hear the soft but powerful footsteps that came from Izumi.

_You have to run faster!_ The rage in his brain screamed at him._ You have to be faster!_

But why? Ed wanted to ask himself. Why was he even running? What would he accomplish by running? He couldn't run all the way home and attack Kimble, as if that would really solve anything, but he could not just sit around and do nothing except stew in his own anger.

_Where are you even going?_ The reasonable side of his head asked as his bare, flesh foot pounded again the hot pavement.

Blinding yellow lights flashed in front of his eyes and suddenly he realized that he had been running in the street and that the light belonged to a car. Using all of his agility and balance, Edward dodged the car and just barely registered the screaming insults from the occupants of the car, but he did not stop. After a few more minutes of running, Edward realized that he might not be able to stop even if he wanted to. Adrenaline pounded through his body, forcing him on his blind run of the town even though his lungs felt as if they were about to exploded and his flesh foot felt as if it was bleeding now, further hindering his already faltering running capabilities. After what felt like an hour, Edward came to a forceful stop.

His automail foot caught on what must have been a thick tree root and flew a good two feet before skidding to a stop onto some mushy material. Panting to fast to actually suck in needed air, heart feeling as if it were pounding faster than humanly possible, and body to weak and soar to move, Edward continued to lie on the ground, waiting for someone to come and berate him for his excessive childish behavior. But Edward never heard anything that resembled his father's voice or Izumi's.

Finally, Ed seemed to gain enough energy to push his body into a sitting position and try to understand where he was. It appeared that he had run into some kinda of a forest but it was filled with vegetation that he had never seen in his entire life. The ground was slightly muddy and covered in a mulch-like material, quickly dirtying his clothes the same muck brown. Edward's eyes looked up but found that he could only see green foliage with only a bit of the oppressive sun sneaking through to illuminate pieces of his body. But he heard no other human voice through all of the creaking and cawing of the forest creatures. There were no other footsteps coming after him to find him and bring him back to reality. He was alone. His father had either given up or lost his trail completely and now here Edward sat on the forest floor, lost, alone, filthy, exhausted, but there was still the painful throb of rage that had not been expelled by the run. Minutes passed by and slowly the rage seem to side step to make way for another emotion: Fear.

Fear was quickly dominated all of his senses before Edward could even begin to stop it. He knew in his heart that even if he could not run away this emotion even if he did not feel so exhausted. Fear for the kids had burrowed its way deep into the center of his heart and he hated how it made him feel: week, helpless, and scared for them.

_What am I going to do? Am I supposed to just go back home and make sure they're all alright and then beat Kimblee within an inch of his life? But how would I even get up there? It'd take a minimum of 18 hours and that's without a single stop._

"What am I going to do?" Ed sighed at he fell onto his back.

* * *

Hohenheim cursed after turning on the spot several times and never locating his son.

Edward had just darted past yet another moving car forcing Hohenheim to stop for her knew that he could never make it past the car in time. Two cars passed after the first in too quick of secession for him before he could move again but by now, Edward as long gone.

"Do you know were he went?" he asked, turning to Izumi who had just caught up with him; her illness was not doing wonders for her right now.

I lost him after the second car, Izumi panted. But I think he might have run into the woods over there. See where's there's a disturbance in the trees?

"Are you alright?"

"I'll be fine in a minute. Just get moving and I'll catch up."

"Right."

Hohenheim had some trouble getting over some of the thick undergrowth, often scaring away several different animals at a time, but he continued to follow the small indentation of one heavy foot that was forced into the soft ground. After about ten minutes of trekking through the forest however, he had still not found anything of Edward's and the small indentations he had been following had disappeared. Hohenheim was about to turn around and go a different path when he heard a soft voice.

"_What am I going to do?"_

"Edward?"

Hohenheim continued to move towards the voice, calling out to Edward every now and again. At last, he was able to make out a hint of gold hair through all the green and say his son sitting on the forest floor, looking lost and confused.

"Edward," he said, relieved.

"Dad?" Ed said in a small voice, looking both surprised and confused that his father had found him.

"Are you aright Edward?"

"What do you think?" Ed growled before he let his head drop to stare at the forest floor.

Well I was wondering if you'd want to come back to Izumi and Sig's now. So we could maybe talk about this.

"I don't want to talk about it…there's nothing that could make me happy right now except go and beat his ass…" Ed mumbled, fists clenching.

"Revenge is never the answer Edward. You'll learn that one day-."

"So are you saying when I go back to there, I should just pretend that he never did anything? I should forget what he did to me and my family?"

"No I'm saying that-."

"Wouldn't you want revenge? After what he did to Mom?"

Hohenheim calm expression and relaxed demeanor waved for a moment before he cleared his thought and tried to look calm again. He had to be the level headed one right now and it would do no good if he told his eldest son what he really wanted to do to Kimblee.

"All I want right now are my two sons to be safe and happy," Hohenheim answered truthfully. "Let's get back; to looks like it's gonna pour soon."

"Fine," Ed muttered after another moment of glaring at his father. "I'm gonna need a bit of help, I think I did some real damage on my foot."

* * *

"_Edward, I'd really like to talk to you."_

"_I know Dad, and we'll do that later but I'm really exhausted. Can I just lay down for a bit?"_

"_Alright. Be careful on that foot though."_

Once he and Hohenheim had came into eyesight of Izumi in the forest, needless to say she was not a happy women, he had been given a quick but brutal beating form the women before being saved by Hohenheim, who apparently did not explain why Ed had run away. After a quick patch job at home on his foot and new injuries, courtesy of Izumi, Ed had went up to his room and collapsed. His father had wanted to talk but Ed was not in the mood to rehash what had happened.

_Ring…Ring…_

It was Edward's cell phone. He quickly lunged for it, praying for Sammy or Terry but was surprised when the caller I.D. said Maes Hughes.

"Hello?"

"_Uh, hey Ed."_

For some reason, Maes sounded uneasy. Maybe they had been kicked out of the Motel and were now homeless. Or maybe one of them had been caught with alcohol and was now in big trouble.

"What's up?"

"_Well…I'll just get to point. I heard something about you and, and I wondered if it was true or not."_

Ed's stomach began to twist uneasily. He had never realized just how many skeletons he had in his closest until someone had mentioned that they may have found one out. His mind ran through the list of possibilities.

"What did you hear?" Ed asked, mouth dry and heart pounding.

"_Something about Kimblee._

_Well that narrows down the possibilities of what he could be talking about_, Ed thought sarcastically, given the new amount of information he had gain on his foster father.

"What did you hear?" Ed repeated.

"_I heard that…that Kimblee abuses you. You and the younger kids._

For some odd reason, Ed felt almost relieved that this was all Maes had heard but that did not mean that he was okay with his friend knowing. Then, he got an odd hollow feeling in his heart when he realized only one other person knew what went on in Ed's house.

"How did you find out?" he asked quietly.

"_On accident."_

"Who told you? Who'd you hear it from?" Ed asked, anger slowly building in his chest.

"I overheard Roy and Jean talking about it and-."

"What the Hell do you mean Roy and Jean?" Ed snarled.

This did not make sense. How did those two know? They were not supposed to know. Again, only one person could have told them about this.

"Where did they heard about this?" Ed shouted, even though he already knew the answer.

"_Winry told them apparently._

Maes had said some other things after this but Ed did not care to hear them. Winry had blabbed. She had promised not to tell. He was sure that Maes had continued to ask a few more times if all this as true, probably just hoping for Ed to tell him that they were all full of bullshit. Ed was frozen in his weird state until he had heard a voice on the other end of the line.

"_What did you say to him?"_

It was Winry. She sounded enraged but so was Edward.

"_I said what I told you I was going ot say!_

"_No. You said that I 'told them apparently'!"_

"_Well didn't you?"_

"_It's not like I went and blabbed to them! Edward!"_

Winry had apparently stolen the phone from Maes because now her voice was the loudest.

"Edward, I didn't blab to them! They had already found out and they came to me because-."

"Because you were sure to know," Ed finished hollowly. "But I know now that I have to learn what I should and should not tell certain people because I thought you wouldn't tell."

No Edward, I didn't! Winry pleaded. Roy found out on his own and then he came to me and I had to-.

"Whatever," Ed growled, suddenly feeling sick from the pleading tone in her voice and the passing of her blame.

Ed ended the call with her in the middle of her sentence. He threw his phone against the opposite wall and did not care the least if it were broken or not. Feeling incredibly betrayed, Ed curled up on his bed and tried his best to ignore the frantic ringing of his cell phone.

* * *

**Ooh, not a good move on Winry's part huh? **

***Announcement* I have finally gotten around to putting up some of my FanArt that I drew for my fanfics. I have two pics for this story and I have an amazing one that I drew for Perpetual War. Even if you don't read that story, you should check it out because it's one of my favorite pictiures I've ever drawn. There are links on my account.**

**Please send me a review! I gotta go because I have pre-band camp today. By the way, next week I have Band Camp (I'm so gonna die) so don't go expecting a quick update because it's all day (9 a.m.-6 p.m.) and it's Mon-to Fri. Sorry but blame my Nazi of a band Director.**

**Bye!**

**-FSK**


	34. The Bombshell

**Surprise early update! It's my biggest chapter ever! (over 5,000 words and 14 pages, although it's more like 6,000 words with my authors notes.)**

**I could not help but update this chapter early. And it's because this chapter is what I've been working towards since the beginning. (Yes in a story that supposed to be about brother's finding each other again, Ed and Al's reunion was not what I was most excited about) I'm sure you're all happy that it's a big chapter and it's early but trust me, get to the end and you will not be so happy anymore.**

**DO NOT, UNDER PENALTY OF SUPER LATE UPDATE, GO STRAIGHT TO THE END! I MEAN IT!**

* * *

"Winry told them apparently."

Winry turned around and stared at the back of Maes. He was talking on his phone a few feet away from the door to their Motel room. She had been talking to Roy and Jean for a while, telling them to strictly keep their mouths shut about Ed or else they'd be in serious trouble. She was about to come back into the room when she heard the words come out of Maes' mouth.

"What did you say to him?" Winry snapped, realizing too late what he had been doing on the phone.

"I said what I told you I was going to say!" Maes shouted over his shoulder, moving the phone a bit away from his mouth.

"No. You said that I 'told them apparently'!" Winry yelled, furious and absolutely freaking out over what Ed must think of her now; spilling his most important secret to whoever had the nerve to mention it to her.

"Well didn't you?"

"It's not like I went and blabbed to them!" she screamed before Winry ran over to him and seized the phone out of Maes' hand. "Edward! Edward, I didn't blab to them! They had already found out and they came to me because-."

"_Because you were sure to know," _Ed finished in a hollow voice_. "But I know now that I have to learn what I should and should not tell certain people because I thought you wouldn't tell."_

"No Edward, I didn't!" Winry pleaded. "Roy found out on his own and then he came to me and I had to-."

"_Whatever."_

Winry continued to yell and plead through the phone even though she had realized that Ed had obviously ended the call. With tears quickly forming in her eyes, Winry closed Maes' phone with a snap before she rounded on him.

"_What the Hell is wrong with you Maes Hughes?"_Winry spat, throwing the cell phone with uncanny accuracy at its owner head, not caring if the cell phone had broken or if Maes was bleeding. "Are you seriously _that _retarded and tactless? Couldn't you have phrased it any different way? GOD DAMMIT!" The three teens flinched at this and Winry was sure that Riza and Sheska had stepped out of the room now to see what was going on; but she did not care. "You know, for someone who's supposed to be smart, you can be such a dumbass!"

Winry let out one last noise that sounded like a roaring jungle cat before she pushed past the bumbling and stuttering teenage boys and ran for her van. Once inside, she started the van and bolted out of the parking lot as fast as the old automobile would move. At the first red light, Winry bent over and began to search through the piles of trash that had been left on the floor; somewhere there were directions to Al's house from the Motel. She had to wait until the next red light before she would be able to lay her hands on the paper only to find that she had to turn completely around. This was no matter to talk about over a phone, something Maes should have though about. Finally, Winry reached Al's house, found a parking space, and all but threw herself across the front lawn before banging onto the door.

"H-hello?" Winry asked, suddenly feeling nervous at the sight of Edward's father. She had hoped that neither of Al's foster parents would have answered the door but she also hoped that it would be Al to answer the door.

"You're Winry, right?" he asked pleasantly, moving out of the way to let her through.

"Um yes, Mister…?"

"Hohenheim," he said before extending a hand to shake; Winry accepted the hand before shutting the door behind her.

"Mr. Hohenheim, uh, is Ed here?"

"He should be but I'm not sure if you should talk to him right now. He's had a pretty long day-."

"Ed told me about what you told him," Winry said quickly, hoping this would let her get to him quicker.

"Everything?"

"Well, he called me earlier and told me what you said before. Why? Did you tell him the rest?" Winry asked quickly, not caring if she was butting in.

"Yes but, I would not like to tell you since it is his-."

"Oh no!" Winry exclaimed, waving her hands franticly. "No, I don't _want_ to know! I just…it's just…"

Winry's knees suddenly felt weak and fatigue seemed to pile down on her body as she tried to fight off the tears that were stinging in her eyes. Hohenheim, seeing this, placed a gentle hand on her back and led her towards the living room and sat her down on one of the couches.

"What happened?"

"Ugh…" Winry whispered as she wiped her eyes with the back of her hand. "Well you see, I was the only one Ed ever told what was going on with Kimblee, so he'd tell me if something was bothering him. But a few years ago our friend Roy found out and I told him not to mention it to anyone. He didn't until a bit ago when he let it slip to our other friend Jean and then he came to me and I told him to keep his mouth shut," Winry's voice had been relatively steady and clear during her story telling but now her words just seemed to meld together in a hysteric jumble which Hohenheim could barley decipher. "But when I was talking to Ed earlier, Roy and Jean had mentioned something about Ed's home and our friend Maes overheard and then I told him to ask Ed himself because I was sick of telling Ed's secret to everybody but then he did and then the was Maes phrased it he made it sound like I had blabbed to everyone and then Ed got really pissed- as he should because I should not have told anyone in the first place!- but then he hung up on me and, and…I just wanted to come here to try and make him understand that I didn't blab to everyone and that it was all just accident!"

"I'm sure Ed will understand once he gets a chance to listen to what you've got to say."

"But the thing is he probably won't want to talk to me," Winry moaned mistily.

"Well…how many people know?"

"Probably everyone now!" Winry exclaimed, tossing her hands in the air. "Roy and Jean and Maes know and I'd bet money that either Sheska or Riza was listening by the door so whoever heard us fight probably forced it out of one of the boys! And now Ed'll hate me forever…"

Hohenheim stared at the girl for several minutes. Al had mentioned to him earlier that Ed had a 'major crush' on a girl named Winry. He smiled fondly at the idea of his son actually having feelings for a girl but quickly wiped away the smile incase she looked at him and saw him smiling, thinking that he was laughing at her.

"Well, let's go talk to him about it," Hohenheim said, standing up.

"But-."

"If you're planning on waiting around until he comes to you, I'm afraid you'll be waiting here quite a while."

After a moment of deliberation, Winry nodded and got up off the couch. She followed Hohenheim up the stairs and down a small hallway. Winry stopped about halfway down the hall in front of a door, bearing a childishly drawn sign reading 'Al's Room'.

"Is Al home?"

"No, he out with his some of his friends."

"Oh. I just hoped that maybe Al would help keep Ed under control," Winry mumbled before she picked up her pace and continued walking down the hall.

Hohenheim raised his fist and knocked several times on the door but received no answer.

"Edward. I know that you're in there," he said in a loud voice so as to get through the layer of wood. "I want to talk to you for a minute. You said that we'd talk later so come on."

Winry could practically see Ed let out an annoyed groan, roll off his bed onto the floor, before stumbling towards the door. It was something she would have smiled at if it weren't for the fact that Ed was royally pissed off at her.

"Dad, right now is not the best time so could we just-," Ed began as he opened the door but stopped when his eyes set onto Winry and his eyes quickly hardened. "What the Hell are you doing here?"

"Ed I-!"

"Winry has come here to try and make you understand that she did not 'blab your secret to the world'," Hohenheim said while looking at Winry to confirm the wording.

"It doesn't matter if it was one person or one million! You _still_ told!"

"Not on purpose! Ed you have to let me explain!"

"I don't want to hear it-!"

"_Edward!_" Hohenheim yelled, gripping onto the door to stop his son from slamming it in their faces.

"_What?"_

"Listen to your friend. Or I will make you."

"Yeah, right old man, I'd like to see you try-." Ed scoffed before he was cut off mid sentence by Winry's right hook.

"Listen you idiot! I didn't let it slip to Roy _or_ Jean! Roy _saw_Kimblee in the act and then came to me and I had to tell him what you told me so he wouldn't go running to the police! Alright? And then _he blabbed_ to Jean and he came to me! I'm sorry if those two are too _stupid_ to keep their traps shut but it's not my fault okay?"

Winry finished her little diatribe, leaving her in a huff. Hohenheim eyed his son and then moved to the object of his apparent affection.

_Way to pick a girl Edward,_ was all he could think at the present moment, a small smile tugging at his lips.

"So if you're going to be mad at me, at least now you know that I didn't tell anyone by choice," Winry turned to then Hohenheim. "Thanks for your help Mr. Hohenheim."

"Oh, I'm not sure you even needed it."

"Well…I'll be going now," Winry said awkwardly before she began to turn to walk down the hall with Ed still sprawled on the ground in shock.

"Wait Winry," Ed said as he pushed himself off the ground while nursing his red cheek with his cool automail hand. "What do you mean Roy saw Kimblee in the act?"

* * *

Shocked silence filled the cramped Motel room; it was as if an enormous bomb had landed on the friends and killing all of their voices. No one could really believe what Roy and Jean had just told everyone. Sure, they had known that Edward's relationship with his foster parent Kimblee was strained at best but…abusive? No, they could not be right, could they?

"Wait, wait, wait…"Sheska muttered, looking horribly lost and confused, "That can't be right. I mean, it's not right-!"

"Just because something's not right doesn't mean that it can't happen," Roy reminded her quietly.

"Dammit," cursed Maes. "How could I have not seen what was right in front of my eyes? I should have noticed."

"We all should have noticed," Riza said quietly. "We're his friends but we never noticed it. We could have _helped_."

"It was harder to notice since Ed didn't show all of the idiosyncrasies of abused kids," Roy informed them in a calm voice. "He never appeared scared to go home after school but only seemed angry at Kimblee-."

"Which wasn't weird because he was _obviously_ a douche-bag," Jean supplied.

"Right…but I realized after a while that even though Ed seemed able to keep everything under control did any of you guys see the other kids or heard Ed tell stories about them? Because it appeared like Sammy had become the houses primary care giver of the house and children acting either very mature or immature can be signs of abuse."

"Ed probably worked hard to make sure nothing ever seemed that out of place," Riza commented, her brown eyes filled with concern and thought. "But none of the other kids seemed that upset and, as younger kids, they should have been less likely to deal with it."

"Winry told us that Ed usually got all if not most of the abuse Kimblee gave them," Jean said quietly.

"What are we going to do?" Sheska asked, looking close to tears.

"Wait until Winry comes back to tell us what happened," Roy answered as he reclined a bit in his seat but his face still looked to serious for his youthful face.

* * *

"Are you sure you want to tell him?" Winry asked as she and Ed walked down the hallway towards Al's room.

"No but since the secrets out, I guess it's the only thing I should do," Ed sighed, dragging his feet to prolong his short trip down the hall. "I mean, how could I keep a secret like that from Al when everyone else knows?"

Ed took a deep breath before he raised his left fist and knocked on his brother's door. Al had returned home an hour ago but during that time, Winry was busy retelling Ed what everyone had known and telling him that he should not be so worried about what everyone else was going to think while he was repeating to her astonished ears everything that his father had told him. He knew that he had to tell Al; it was the right thing to do and for once, he'd actually do the right thing.

"What's up Ed-Winry?" Al asked in surprise when he saw the blond girl standing behind Ed, looking calm but Ed could still see the worry lurking in her eyes. "I didn't know you were here."

Al then proceeded to give the two questioning looks that made Ed want to smack the smirk off of his brother's face. Really! It wasn't like he had told his brother that he was in love with her!

_But then again, we were just in my bedroom for the past hour alone…oh boy._

"You can knock that smirk off of your face because we weren't doing anything," Ed growled, crossing his arms across his chest and scowling.

"Oh really?"

"Yes Alphonse," Winry sighed.

"Okay, so what's up?"

Winry gave Ed a small push on the small of his back, forcing him a step forward. Ed stumbled a bit before he moved to grip the back of his neck in a nervous gesture.

"Um, can I talk to you for a bit?" Ed asked hesitantly.

"Sure…" Al said, uncertain, moving away from the doorframe to let Ed inside. Winry decided to hang back in the hallway; this was a talk best put between brothers after all.

It was hard to make herself stay in her spot outside of Al's door; just listening to the louder, although slightly garbled, parts of Edward's confession and Alphonse' reaction. She wanted to be in there, to help Ed along with the proper wordings and to help Al with his own reaction but she could not. It was not her place to stick her head into other people's business.

After about ten minutes, Winry had sunk to the floor and sat down on the plush carpeting; arms wrapped around her knees, which she kept close to her chest with her left ear pressed to the wall in hopes of hearing something. Twenty minutes passed and Winry began to worry; she had not heard any shouting but maybe Al had simply been shocked into silence. She did not know; all Winry did know was if no one emerged from the room soon, she would have to barge into the room and find out herself. But minutes came and went before they turned into an hour.

_Come on guys!_

Finally, after some time of muttering to herself and pacing in front of the door, Winry decided to open up the door. Slowly she inched it open, first poking her eyes through the crack before she opened it a bit further.

"Hello?"

The two boys sat on Al's bed on opposite sides, not looking at each other. Ed looked both awkward and embarrassed while Al's face was a collage of expressions varying from confusion to fear to worry to anger. Not knowing exactly what to do, Wiry cleared her throat. Ed looked up at her, appearing startled, but Al continued to stare at his comforter.

"Um…" Winry stuttered for a moment when her eyes met Ed's slightly glazed over eyes. "I, I think that Izumi's making dinner…d-do you want me to bring up some…?"

Ed's face broke into a small smile after a moment before he got up, stretched his tired mussels, and took a few steps towards the door before he turned to look at his brother. Al had made no inclination that he had even heard Winry as he continued to sit on the comforter, looking almost pathetically helpless.

"Hey Al," Ed said. "We should get some food."

At the mention of food, Al's stomach gave loud grumble that made Ed smile endearingly at him.

"Come on. You're starving," Ed said before he sighed, walked to where his brother was sitting and kneeled down in front of him. Speaking in a softer voice that Winry had to strain her ears to hear, he said, "We can talk about it more later okay? And I promise that when I get back, all of that is going to change. I'm not letting that bastard hurt anyone else, okay?"

Al looked up and stared into Ed's eyes for a moment, still holding the array of emotions on his face. He stayed like that for another moment before he spoke in an equally quiet voice.

"You promise?"

"Of course," Ed whispered before he smiled again and brought his voice up to the previous volume. "So let's go get some grub, okay?"

"Yeah," Al said, nodding his head before he got up off the bed.

Ed and Winry walked slightly behind Al as they walked down to the first floor. Winry took her chance to ask Ed when they began walking down the creaky stairs, Winry purposely walking like a pissed-off three year old.

"What did you tell him?"

"Everything."

And she knew that by everything, he meant it, starting with what Kimblee had done to their mother and ending with what he had been doing to Ed since becoming his guardian.

* * *

"Ed, we just want to say that…we're sorry for not noticing what had been gong on before."

"And we're sorry that you didn't exactly give us permission to know."

"And that we still don't think of you any differently."

"And if you ever need to talk, you can come to any of us."

"Again, we're sorry we found out this way."

Ed blinked a few times in confusion. He, Winry, and Al had just walked through the door of the Motel room, only to be barraged by his worried friends who only wanted Ed to know what they were thinking…several times over. After he was sure that he had heard the third 'I'm sorry for us finding out this way,' Ed held up a hand to stop them all.

"Okay, okay, _okay_-I get it," Ed said, annoyed at the smile that was trying to tug at the corners of his mouth; he was not going to go ahead and display his feelings for all of his friends to see right now. "But, thanks. I appreciate it."

"Good," Jean said, before he stood up and threw one of his long arms over Ed's shoulders. "Well, since we have that matter out of the way-let get hammered!"

This exclamation was received by nervous looks and slightly worn-out smiles. Jean was not having any of this, not tonight. He wanted to party and he was damn going to, whether anyone else joined or not.

"Come _on, _guys! We hardly partied since we got down here!"

"Jean's right," Riza said in a voice that was thick with sarcasm. "I mean, the last time we drank didn't count because Jean didn't get to fool around with that girl and he was only buzzed when the party ended."

"Hey," Jean pointed towards Riza, "I'm sure you wished we could have spent more time at that chick's house. She had so much good booze I'm sure you wouldn't have minded getting good and shitfaced."

Riza said nothing to this but rolled her eyes at the blond teen.

"_Pretty please?"_ Jean moaned like a child would for extra dessert after dinner.

Maes looked to Sheska, Sheska looked to Riza, Riza looked to Roy, Roy then shot Riza a suggestive wink and only just missed her shoe that she had thrown at him before Roy turned to Ed, Al, and Winry who all shrugged. Roy looked back to Jean said, "Why not. How much booze have we got left?"

"Oh, we have plenty," Jean said with an evil smirk before he ran over to a cardboard box that he had stowed in the corner of the room. Inside were bottles of all different sorts.

"Where'd you get those?" Sheska asked in awe before she ran to grab a bottle of Rum. "Did 'Francis Morrison' buy it?" she asked turning to Roy, remembering his ridiculous name he used for his fake I.D., before taking a hefty swig of the clear liquid.

"I don't remember using it since that stop in Georgia," Roy said. "So where'd you get it?"

"I may have…borrowed it from someone…" Jean said as he unloaded each bottle with care.

"From who?"

"Rose _may_ have…told me to _peruse_ her liquor cabinet when I was there."

"So you stole from her?" Al asked, only sounding slightly annoyed about it, mostly exasperated with his brother's choice in friends.

"_Borrowed_! I will gladly give Rose her bottles back!" Jean said before adding in an undertone, "So she can get rid off the evidence instead."

Everyone seemed to remember quickly the temporary drama the girl had caused within the group and they all quickly got over the fact that they were drinking stolen drinks.

For once in a long time, Ed felt as if he had lost a great amount of weight off his shoulders. He would not have to go somewhere private or lower his voice he wished to mention something that was worrying him. He did not have to talk only to Winry, who he loved but it was nice to talk to someone else every now and again. Ed was happy, truly and undeniably happy, sitting with his friends and enjoying a couple of drinks. Too bad the party would be forced to end within a few hours because of something that he would have never foreseen happening actually occurring.

"Hey Ed?" Maes asked as he collapsed onto the floor next to Ed; only slightly drunk but with small haze in his green eyes.

"What's up?" Ed muttered, feeling the effects of the alcohol pumping through his system.

"What're you gonna do when ya get home? I mean, are ya gonna stay wif Kimblee or call the police?"

"I think I'ma have to call them, for da best."

"What'll happen to the kids?"

At the mention of them, Ed suddenly broke temporarily out of his drunken haze, remembering that he had yet received a call from either one of them. Was Kyle still missing? Why did neither Sammy nor Terry call him back? And where had Kimblee run off to?

"Ed?"

Ed turned back to look at Maes. He looked concerned and Ed was sure that the inquiring teen wanted to know what was going through Ed's head. He sighed, took a large drink from his bottle, before he spoke.

"Thing is, I gota call from dem the other day. Sam said that Kyle was missin' and dey couldn't find him. I keep trying to call buh…dey won't pick up."

"Are dey okay?"

"I don't know," Ed drunkenly groaned. "Me and Win always talked about me becoming legally emansta-emancipated and take the kids wif me buh…I don't know how that'd work out. Maybe if my Dad comes back home or sometin he could help with the financial part of it all."

"As long as dat jackass doesn't keep hurtin' you," Maes mumbled, staring into his now empty bottle.

"Mm-hmm," Ed mumbled before he closed his eyes and let his body relax on the hard floor, finally feeling the fatigue that had been attacking him for the past twenty-four hours.

It felt like his eyes had been closed for only a minute when he was woken up but Ed could tell that some time had to have passed by, mainly because of how most of his friends appeared to have succumbed to the alcohol and were either partaking in questionable activities, or they were out cold and have questionable activities performed upon them. For a moment, Ed was not sure why he had woken up but then someone tapped him again. He looked up and saw big green eyes sliding in and out of focus just a few inches away from his own. Sheska had collapsed next to him and was poking at the sensitive area where his automail port met his flesh.

"_What_?" Ed hissed, annoyed, a headache beginning to brew and his shoulder stinging slightly.

"Your phone's ringin'," she said, point to a spot just out of her reach to her right; apparently she was so spent that she could not even move the extra inch to grab it. "It's bothrin mah head…"

Making a face at the taste that was left in his mouth, Ed pushed himself onto his knees and did a sort of crawl towards his phone, which was ringing awfully loud and was rather annoying to his oversensitive ears. Finally, his trembling fingers grasped onto the phone and, after fumbling with it for several more minutes, finally opened it correctly.

"Hello?" Ed groaned, holding his head in his unused hand.

But there was no one on the other end. Of course, he had been fumbling around for several minutes and by that time, the call would have ended. Muttering angrily, Ed moved himself to a slightly comfier-looking spot in the corner and curled up. Before his eyes closed, Ed noted the condition of the room and his friends who littered it. Winry and Maes had collapsed and were lying on the bed; Ed pushed away the small bubble of jealousy that came when he saw how close Maes was laying to Winry. Sheska was passed out a few feet away from him as she had been minutes ago, back into an unconscious state. Roy was passing his lighter between him and Jean, who were huffing on cigars who's origin, Ed did not know. Riza sat in the opposite corner from Ed, doing something on her phone and sipping on a beer, seemingly the least affected by the alcohol but Ed could still detect a slight haze in her eyes. Al lay sprawled in the one old, ratty armchair that was in the room, red faced, collapsed, with a half empty bottle in his hand. Ed felt a surge of endearment go through his body at the sight of this but his body would not take it any longer and finally, he succumbed to sleep.

Only to be woken up soon after by his cell phone.

Ed contemplated whether he should just ignore it but deep in his heart, something tugged reminding him that it could be important, having to do with the kids left at home. Fumbling with his phone again, much quicker this time, Ed took a moment to look at the caller I.D. before he answered and found it reading 'anonymous'.

"…Hello?" Ed asked groggily, his voice thick with sleep.

There was only a cold laugh in response, sending the sensation of a skeletal finger sliding down his spin, and waking him immediately. Ed got the sinking suspicion that he had heard that voice before, but from whom?

"Hello?" Ed repeated, trying to shake away the feeling that he was getting in his stomach.

_Relax,_ Ed told himself. _Just relax and everything will be fine. You're freaking out over nothing._

But unfortunately, relaxing could not and would not solve everything, especially in this situation.

"_My, my…don't you sound tired_," the voice said mockingly.

And then, something clicked, and Ed knew who it was. His stomach boiled with anger and he could feel a nerve twitch in the corner of his eye.

"Bastard," he growled with an almost unbelievable amount of loathing. "What do you want?"

"_So I hear from my old dear friend that you're a bit worried about the little kiddies,"_Kimblee sneered.

"You-you've been in touch with my father?"

"_Mm, yes and no. Mostly the no part, so don't go thinking that your little daddy doesn't wuv you. He hated me almost as much as you do_," he used the cold mocking voice again. "_I have my sources."_

"Where are they you bastard?" Ed hissed between clenched teeth. "_Tell me_!"

"_Hmm, _they_? You'll have to be a bit more specifi-."_

"SAMMY, TERRY, AND KYLE!" Ed roared into the phone; he hardly noticed that some of his friends were beginning to wake up.

"_Well…I just guess you'll have to find me and find out yourself,"_ he said in his usual cold, cruel voice.

"What do you mean?" Ed spat, trying his best to push away his fear and worry.

"_I mean that if you were to return home, you would find them quite missing."_

A large block of ice plummeted into the very pit of Ed's stomach. He felt as if a ghostly hand had griped itself around Ed's throat, constricting his breathing.

"W-what?"

"_Figure it out yourself genius. Or else."_

"W-what?"

"_I would advise you not to dawdle too much or else your precious little _'siblings'_ will pay the price."_

"Huh?" Ed asked, not quite sure what was going on anymore; his brain felt slow and sluggish.

"_I guess you'll need a little help with this one_," Kimblee muttered.

Ed could hear him set the phone down, heard his fading footsteps, and then there was silence for a few heart-stopping moments. He could hear his friends try and ask him what was wrong but he did not care. They had no idea…

"_Here we are_," Kimblee said, back on the phone. "_A little persuasion and help for your sluggish brain_."

There was some rustling and Ed was sure Kimblee had snarled something to someone, earning a frightened whimper. And then…

"_E-Eddy_?" a terrified voice asked him.

Ed dropped his phone onto the ground. He was sure Kimblee was forcing the owner of the small voice away and out of range, for Ed could hear the owner whimper and beg to speak to him longer.

"Edward?"

Big blue eyes floated in front of his wavering vision but this time it was not due to alcohol for his inconsistency in sight. It was because of tears. Furious, horrified, and scared tears were wheedling there way into Ed's eyes and down his checks.

"Edward?" Winry repeated in a far away voice. "What happened?"

He could tell that only a few words could force its way through Ed's shocked mouth. He had to say something to make her understand what had happened. As Winry began to give Ed's shoulder's a little shake, Ed snapped only the slightest bit out of it. He gripped onto one of her hands, looked into her eyes, and said the only thing that came to mind.

"Sammy."

* * *

**Let the angry bitchin' out of the century commence.**

**I never realised how much of a fanbase my OC kids had until I mentioned that I was going to do evil things to a couple of friends and they instantly began to freak about the kids. Well...correct thinking by all means. Bravo.**

**Okay now listen, I do realize that I am such a bitch because of this, but please don't get super angry at me and stop reading my story. I know how some of you react when you get horrible FanFic news. *you know who you are* But seriously, this is not the end. There is much more to come so don't stop now!**

**Please leave a review. I don't care at all if you cuse me out. I just want to read your reactions.**

**Bye.**

**-FSK**

***By the way, since I'm going to be suffering in band camp this week, I'm going to go out on a limb and say that my earliest update will be Satuday. Sorry.***


	35. The Slip Up

**Hi readers! Sorry for the slight wait but I've been pretty busy...and had a little bit of writers block.**

**This chapter will not be as long as last chapter but should be understandable since last chapter was over twice the normal length.**

**Enjoy and I actually did edit this chapter so hopefully there won't be as many mistakes**

_

* * *

_

What the hell is going on here?

Alphonse thought as he sleepily watched the scene before him unfold.

He had just been awoken from his drunken haze of a nap to the noises of his brother Edward's yelling. This was not such an odd thing, considering that when his brother usually talked it was in a yell, but this felt different. He _looked_ different. Ed's voice sounded furious but Al could tell that the anger was hiding the fear that was causing his voice to waver slightly. While his eyes glared into thin as if ,as if the person he was talking to was sitting in the room in front of him, his clenched hands were shaking and his chest was heaving as he sucked in air in an oddly erratic rate. Something was clearly very wrong.

After pushing himself up, Al slowly made his way over to his brother at a stumbling pace. Winry was already crouched near him, asking what was wrong but he ignored her completely. Glancing at Winry, she shrugged before trying to distract Ed again; Al decided to let him continue with the conversation but sat down to the side of his panicked brother.

"What's going on?" Al heard Roy grumble from across the room.

"I have no clue," Maes whispered back.

And then suddenly as if an alarm had gone off, Ed's expression changed in a flash and he dropped his phone to the floor, resulting in a small thud onto the carpeted surface. Ed's left hand was still suspended in the air, clearly showing that Ed was in so much shock that he had not noticed him slacking grip in the least. Winry moved closer to Ed before she tried to get his attention. Al tried to hear what was happening on the other line of the phone but it just sounded like a bunch of garbled noises before the line clicked off so he had no clue what had happened.

"Edward?" Winry asked tentatively

Ed slowly brought his head up to look blankly into her eyes. Then something happened that left Al in a slightly shocked state: Ed had started to cry. His shoulders shook even more now but Al could tell it was not just from the fear or sadness but of pent up rage.

"Edward?" Winry asked again. "What happened?"

It took several moments for Ed to find the right words he needed to say. During that time more and more of their collapsed friends were being roused by others and Al could see something quickly overtaking the shocked look in Ed's eyes: it was pure wrath and it scared Al slightly.

"Sammy…" Ed said quietly as more tears rolled slowly down his checks.

"What?" Winry asked, slightly confused.

"He…" Ed panted.

"He? Who's 'he' Ed?"

In a split second, Ed had completely lost control. He let out a wounded, furious noise from the depths of his soul, forced himself up into a standing position before anyone could stop him, and charged out of the room leaving everyone in a haze. Edward had slammed the door to tightly on his way out that a small shock wave seemed to resonate from it and freeze all of the occupants of the room for a moment.

Winry was the first to break away from the daze. She sprung up and ran to the door, calling after Edward into the dark. Al came to senses soon afterwards and followed Winry out the door just in time to witness the panicked conversation that went on between Ed and Winry.

"Just tell me what's wrong!" Winry shouted at her van; it took a moment to realize that Ed was inside, most likely trying to escape with it before he was stopped. "_Edward_!"

"It's all my damn fault!" Edward shouted. Al could just barely make out the form of his brother through the dark windshield.

"_What's_ your fault Edward?" Winry asked in a slightly gentler voice.

"Everything!" he shouted after a moment before the blinding lights of the van were thrown on and the old engine roared to life.

"Edward! What the hell are you doing?" Winry roared as she attempted to pull open the passengers' side door but he appeared to have stopped her.

"Let go Winry!"

"Whatever you need or think you need to do you can't drive wherever! You don't even have a drivers permit!"

"I don't care!" Ed yelled childishly.

Alphonse began to run down the stone steps and over to where the two were slowly gaining more and more attention from passing cars and other guests of the Motel.

"Brother!" Al hissed as he peered through the open passengers' window; he could see Ed's shaking form, his white knuckles on the steering wheel, and his furious, slightly luminous eyes glaring at the open windshield. "Brother, what's the matter?"

"Something about the foster kids," Winry muttered pathetically.

"Ed!" Al yelled. "Just tell us _something_!"

"He took them!" Edward spat, turning his head to look at the two furiously. "That fucking bastard took them and has them somewhere I don't know and it's all MY FUCKING FAULT!"

After giving the dash board a more-than-firm kick (one that Al was sure had cracked the plastic covering) Edward then collapsed onto the steering wheel. Neither Al nor Winry knew if Ed was done with his tirade yet but Winry took this moment of weakness to slip into the car and turn off the van.

"Edward," Winry whispered as she put a soft hand on his automail shoulder. "Do you mean that…that _Kimblee_ has taken the kids somewhere?"

Ed nodded miserably before pushing himself up onto his elbows.

"And I should have already driven back up there to make sure it didn't happen," Ed whispered. "_Dammit_."

"Ed, how were you to expect that would Kimblee take them away?"

"It's not that I should have seen Kimblee behind this but the fact that Kyle's been missing for a while now and I should've went back up there for that," Ed snarled into the windshield. "_I_ should have been there for them. _I'm_ supposed to be the one to protect them. _God!_ How can I be so stupid?"

"Edward, you're just a kid. You're not supposed to be responsible for three kids-."

"Well I am alright? It doesn't matter that I shouldn't. And now it'll be on my shoulders if something happens to those kids."

"No it won't Ed. Kimblee's their legal guardian, not you. You won't be arrested just because you wanted to take a vacation."

"But it will stick with me because I know that I caused it when I could have stopped it," Ed snarled at her.

"Well what do you think is the best thing to do?" Winry asked, clearly unaffected by his anger.

"…I need to go find them," Ed whispered.

* * *

Somehow, through all of the madness that was the next half and hour, the group of friends had made their way back to Al's house, woken Hohenheim, Sig, and Izumi, and briefed them on what had just happened. Through the entire experience, the adults all kept quiet until Ed was done with his story. The overly crowded room was quiet for a few moments afterwards while adults and a few of the lesser informed friends mulled it all over. Finally, Hohenheim spoke up.

"Edward, may I see your cell phone?"

Ed didn't respond but dug into his pockets for a moment until he found the item and passed it across the table to his father. Ed wanted to laugh as he father struggled with the piece of technology for a moment ("how the devil do you open this?") but fought it.

"Um…there is such a thing that shows what numbers called you right?" Hohenheim asked, sounding hopelessly confused as he stared at all of the teens, hoping one of them might take pity on him.

"Yes," Maes said with a small laugh before he walked over and showed him. "There you go."

"Oh. Thank you…?"

"Maes."

"Yes, thank you Maes," Hohenheim said with a small smile before he focused his attention back on the phone. "No ones called you since then right Edward?"

"Yeah. I think he called more than once though."

Hohenheim stared at the glowing screen for a moment before he began to smile slowly. It was no ordinary smile that went along with average happiness or kindness. No, it was a smile that went along with watching someone you hated mess up big time; and that was what Kimblee had just done. There, right in front of his eyes, was a number with an area code that told him what area of the country Kimblee had just called from.

"Edward? Come here. Do you recognize this number?"

"No but…" Hohenheim then grabbed a finger at the first three digits of the number. "That's the area code from back home!"

"You mean he's still back there?" Roy asked in disbelief.

"Right now he is but we've got to get moving," Hohenheim said briskly. "He could be moving and quickly. Kimblee's always had men everywhere willing to help him whenever he asks them to."

"What should we do first Dad?" Al asked.

"We should put out an Amber Alert (1) for your county or even state. If we get it out fast we could stop him before he tries to escape and farther."

"But what do we do after that?" Ed asked quietly from his spot across the table, looking both confused and annoyed at his father. "Do we just sit here?"

"Of course we don't Edward; not like I would have expected you to anyways," Hohenheim added with a small smile. "We have to go back there."

"But driving takes an entire day!" Winry cried out. "We'd never make it in time!"

"Well of course not Winry. We'd fly."

"Huh?"

"We'll fly there."

"Um, alright," Jean said skeptically. "But even if only a few of us go, we're going to need to find a thousand dollars or so lying around."

"I have that covered," Hohenheim said.

"But Dad-," Al began in disbelief.

"Alphonse, don't you remember how much my job pays? And with not taking care of you boys for the passed few years, I've got quite a bit more than necessary lying around."

Edward looked up at his father for a moment; stunned beyond all belief but incredibly thankful for it. He didn't know if he would be able to last an entire day of waiting in a car and at least know the hours spent waiting would be extremely decreased.

Now all he hoped was that Sammy, Terry, and Kyle could wait the next few hours until he arrived back home.

* * *

**(1) Amber Alert is an alert that goes out onto the television and the radio and it tells people that a child has been abducted and tells you information on the captore and the child.**

**I loved writing Hohenheim getting all confused with the cell phone.**

**But they're going back! Next chapter will get into some more action and suspense!**

**Can't wait until next chapter!**

**-FSK**


	36. Home Again

**Hi readers!**

**Thanks for all of the reviews last chapter! I'm super happy because I recently have obtained a Beta! YAY! She is the awesome Dani-Chan Replika 2.06 and I am very, VERY grateful towards her...so I don't have to edit these myself anymore.**

**I would also like to dedicate this chapter for my other friend the very amazing AmarantineOct.3'11. Thanks again for the fanart picture you gave me! ^^ **

**Please enjoy this chapter even though it feels like such a filler to me. (probably because it is...)**

* * *

"Get some sleep," Hohenheim said. "All of you. We'll be getting ready to leave in a bit so you should lie down while you can."

"What should we do about the Motel room we have booked?" Maes asked. "Should we just check out now?"

"I think it would be best but I'll make sure you get there in a few hours. Right now, just get some sleep."

Ed glared at his father from across the table. How could anyone even begin to think that Ed could sleep at a time like this? Kids who were practically his younger siblings were now trapped in the hands of a maniac. He wanted to scream, to fight his father into letting him go right now while the others could meet him later. But something held his anger inside, slowly bottling up and begging to burst.

"Night dad," Al said as he slowly rose from his seat. "Night Izumi, Sig."

One by one the kids got up and followed Izumi and Sig as they showed them places they could stay for a few hours sleep. But Edward remained to stare at his father, arms crossed across his chest and jaw set.

"Edward. It's the only thing we can do right now," Hohenheim said heavily.

"No it's not," Ed growled. "I could already be at the airport going to leave to go and save them from-."

"And where would you go first Edward? How would you get to your house? How would you get anywhere else when you can't even drive?"

"It's called a cab old man."

"And you'd pay for it with what?" Hohenheim asked staring intently at his oldest son.

"With money. I do have my own money believe it or not," Ed growled, causing Hohenheim to sigh.

"I know that you have money Edward put the point I am trying to get you to see is that sometimes it's best to have some help when you go into battle."

"What if I don't want any?" Ed asked fiercely.

"Well then would be forced to call my own son very foolish indeed."

"So what if you have to call me foolish? Everyone's foolish sometimes if not most of the time!"

"Yes but now is not the time to choose to be so upset that you let your emotions dominate your brain and your actions," Hohenheim said before he got up from his seat at the table. "Now that we are done arguing, I think it would be best to send out that Amber Alert for the children."

Ed would have loved to have shouted more at him about how he was not done at all talking to his father but at the mention of the Amber Alert, Ed's head seemed to clear slightly. He knew deep inside that his father was quite correct but he would defiantly not admit it out loud at the time. Grumbling to himself, Edward pushed himself off of the table and began to stomp off to his given room.

He did not really care when he found out that Al and Roy had to stay with him in his room so as to have a place for everyone in the house; Ed was too deep in though to care about much of anything.

_Where could Kimblee be hiding them?_ Ed thought. _He had to have been calling from somewhere within town but…where? There are thousands of places he could be. He could be somewhere completely different now. What does it matter if there's an Amber Alert out; no one's going to be up for at least a few hours…_

Ed barley contained his fury now when he realized just how well planned out Kimblee had made this. He had called late enough that hardly anyone was likely to be out which meant that no matter how fast they acted, no one would hear the Alert for several hours. By the time Ed arrived back home, well, Kimblee could be three states away in some hidden bunker.

Ed closed his eyes and, knowing that sleep would never come until all of this was solved, began to count down the hours until he could feel like he was doing something productive.

* * *

Ed was awake and dressed by the time Izumi came into the room, telling them that they would be leaving an hour. No one was really talking much as they got dressed and ate very little of the small breakfast Izumi made. Half and hour later, Hohenheim returned from his stint to the Motel room with Maes, Jean, and Roy as they lugged their belongings into the living room for the time being. Ed could not help but notice that the three boys kept shooting worried glances to a few misshapen bags; he could only assume they contained the remaining evidence of their debaucheries' while here in Florida.

"Hey brother," Al said quietly with an involuntary yawn as he sat down next to Ed on one of the living room couches.

"Hey Al," Ed responded quietly.

"You know we'll be moving soon enough."

"Yeah but it's probably already way too late by now. Kimblee's probably already three or four states away in hiding."

"Ed…" Al said, looking at his brother with a saddened look. "You can't say things like that."

"Why not? It true and you know it," Ed mumbled.

"Well then those kids are defiantly screwed because if this is what they've got to rely on we might as well forget about them," Al said bluntly, looking his older brother straight in the eyes.

"What did you say?" Ed challenged, glaring at his brother.

"You heard me. If you've already given up hope on finding them then why should we care? I mean, they're just a bunch of orphans with no one to care about-."

Al would not finish his sentence. Ed had lost control of part of his rising temper and actually punched Al in the jaw. No one had caught it or the previous words spoken between the two brothers so no one stopped them.

"Why the Hell are you suddenly acting like a complete douche-bag?" Ed asked, fist still raised and ready to hit again in a split second.

"Because this is the only way to snap you out of whatever funk is keeping you from being alert and ready to fight," Al answered as he wiped his slightly bloody lip on the back of his hand.

Ed only blinked a few times at Al before he lowered his fist and fell back onto the couch with a sigh. Al went back to his previous seat next to Ed before he was knocked off it moments ago.

"Sorry," Ed said quietly after a pause. "For the punch and for acting so weird. I know I need to keep my focus and keep thinking."

"It's understandable Ed," Al said with a smile.

Ed was saved of having to say anything else with the arrival of his father, fully dressed and looking completely alert.

"It's time to go boys. Let's get into the car and to the airport."

Ed was outside in the humid air and into the car before anyone else. One by one, as his friends trekked out of the house and into their vehicle of choice, Ed could easily tell that few of them got anymore sleep after waking up to his shouting's in the Motel room. Ed, Al, Izumi, and Hohenheim drove in Izumi's car; Sig, Roy, and Jean went in Sigs pick up truck; while Winry, Riza, Sheska, and Maes went in Winry's rust-bucket van. Al had once mentioned how Izumi always drove at the speed limit but apparently she had expectations as she drove well over the given speed limit at times; this Edward was grateful for.

Hohenheim led the way in the airport; it had never occurred to Ed that his father had racked up plenty of frequent flyers miles during his trips around the country from all of his strange trips when he was on governmental business. He also almost had a heart attack when he heard how much all of the tickets were but his father did not even flinch as he handed his credit card over.

Security was enough of a hassle, especially for Ed when he could not get through the metal detectors do to his automail prosthetics. Edward had almost caused a state of panic with security before Winry could delicately explain that they were not to be used in any sort of terrorist plot and that they were simply a new brand of prosthetics. The time wasted at the metal detectors did not help Ed's already foul mood.

"We have to wait here for another seventy minutes?" Ed yelled at his father; furious at any more time wasted. Didn't they realize they were in a hurry?

"I'm sorry but that's how airplanes work; you just have to wait a bit more," Hohenheim said, knowing that it would only fuel Ed's flame. "I did pay for a nonstop flight if that makes the wait any better."

"Huh?"

"Now we won't have to stop again somewhere else."

Edward instantly felt guilty. Even though he had never flown before, or at least he could not remember a time when he flew before, he knew that plane tickets were expensive enough as it was but when you bought nonstop, it only increased; and Hohenheim had bought _eleven_ tickets!

"Thanks…" Ed said awkwardly. "You didn't have to."

"But I'm your father and this is not only extremely important to you but important to the lives of innocent children. Why wouldn't I do this for you Edward?"

Unsure of what to say and feeling extremely awkward, Ed only nodded before he walked of to sit with the rest of his friends.

* * *

After waiting, more standing in line to board the plane, and waiting some more, Ed and the rest of the large group finally were able to board the plane. Edward, Alphonse, and Winry got into one row and the three adults sat in front of them. Riza and Sheska slid into a row leaving Roy, Jean, and Maes in their last row; after Maes slid into the window seat, Roy turned to Jean.

"Which seat do you want?" Roy asked Jean.

"I don't ca…" Jean started before his eye trailed to the row across from them until his eyes landed on an attractive young woman with dark hair and dark brown eyes sitting alone in the middle of the next row. Jean then turned to Roy in a rush and declared, "I call the isle seat!"

"Um, okay," Roy said, slightly confused, for he had either not seen or cared about the girl. He then scooted into his seat and sat down.

Jean quickly smoothed back his hair slightly and tried his best to look mature. He then leaned over his arm rest to better talk to the girl.

"First time flying?"

The girl turned to look at Jean and smiled.

"Yeah," she said with a nod.

"My name is Jean," he said with a smile.

"I'm Chase," Chase said with a slightly awkward smile.

Unfortunately for Jean, Riza saw this attempt at flirting and felt the need to stop it in its tracks. Now was not the time for trying to get a girls number.

"So are you flying alone or-?"

"Oh Jean," Riza said, popping her head around the seats so that she could see both Jean and the girl before she put on a smile that would look innocent to some but deadly to those who knew her."I forgot to ask, did you remember to pack your _ointment_? I know your _condition_ has been _flaring up_ lately."

Riza then sent a small smile to the girl before getting back into her seat leaving Jean stuttering. But before he could try and fix the damage Riza had sent his way, Chase was joined by a woman, who Riza had to assume was her mother, who sat in the isle seat, efficiently cutting off Jeans chance of conversing with the girl again.

"_Cock-blocked_," Roy sniggered before Jean turned in his seat to glare at Riza.

"Why the hell did you do that?" Jean whispered angrily.

"This is no time to bust-a-move Jean Havoc," Riza growled, earning another snicker from Roy and Maes.

A few rows over from this scene, Ed sat tensely in between Winry and Al. Glancing back, Ed could see that Sheska had already passed out from exhaustion. He half-wished he could just fall asleep for the plane ride and wake up feeling like the plane ride had only been minutes long, but he knew that no matter tired he was now it would be impossible for him.

"It'll be okay Ed," Winry whispered, gripping onto Ed's left hand and giving it a squeeze.

Ed nodded, suddenly feeling as if he couldn't talk anymore. As the pilots voice came on the PA system, Ed let his head roll back and closed his eyes, hoping that the almost five hour flight would be over quickly.

* * *

The plane ride was not a quick as Edward could have hoped for but he had to constantly remind himself, or be reminded by someone else whenever they say Ed getting annoyed, that this was much faster than driving all the way back home.

A shuttle sat outside the entrance of the airport, waiting for the group. After quickly piling in, Edward's address was given to the shuttle driver and off they went.

_Don't worry guys,_ Ed couldn't help but think as they near the house that Ed had hated for years, _I'm back and I'm going to find you._

After Ed found the spare key hidden in the pot of a long-deceased potted plant, Ed opened the door and all but screamed out the kid's names, even though he knew that they were not in the house anymore. Ed ran into their rooms before everyone had even left the shuttle in hopes of finding some bread crumb or clue to Kimblee's hiding place. Lifting up pillows and bedspreads, Ed found nothing but continued on to Kimblee's room. Holding back the desire to spit on the mans bed, Ed searched the room relentlessly too; not caring if he broke anything in the process in the room. When he found nothing, Ed rushed downstairs, hoping someone found something.

"Did you…?" Ed panted after he had run down the stairs and into the kitchen where most of the group had assembled.

"No," Izumi said.

"We'll just have to think of where he might be next," Hohenheim said, obviously trying to keep his sons plummeting spirits up. "Do you know of any places he regularly went to?"

"No," Ed mumbled as he collapsed onto one of the old kitchen chairs, feeling exhausted and defeated. "I don't know anywhere the man went to…"

"Mr. Hohenheim," Izumi said. "Do you remember anything about him that might hint us towards a location?"

While the others talked about, Ed continued to sit, suddenly feeling foolish for thinking that they may have ever had a chance in finding them. Feeling and odd vibration in his pocket, Ed subconsciously reached into his pocket, grabbed his phone and answered it.

"Hello?" Ed asked quietly.

He froze when he heard the family cold, cruel laugh on the other line.

"Kimblee," Ed spat into the phone feeling all of the eyes in the kitchen on him a moment later.

"_Home, sweet, home little Eddy?"_

* * *

**Okay, I actually wanted to write more for this chapter but...I had no clue what Kimblee was going to say or make Ed do so... my bad.**

**I'm gonna update again before school starts up again. *starts to cry* (Sophmore year is gonna _suck_)**

**I hope you got some happiness out of this chapter and I do hope that AmarantineOct.3'11 enjoyed her present. :)**

**Night**

**-FSK**


	37. The Game Begins

**T~T ...it's my last day of summer vacation... So I decided to do a mass update for all of my stories today! (sorry if this is the third time you've read this message today.)**

**So thank you for all of the reviews I got last chapter! I'd like to thanks TallyGurl for reviewing last chapter, mainly because I've wanted someone from Tallahassee to review this story for a while now. :D I'd also like to thank Softballfre3k for your awesome (and very sweet) review and I'm glad you had fun breezing through the thirty or so cliffhangers I've had in the past chapters. :P**

**Again, thank you Dani-Chan for correcting the million or so mistakes that I had in here after writing this chapter while half asleep!**

**Chapter 37! *sigh...* you're gonna be mad at me again. **

**Enjoy!**

* * *

"_Home sweet home little Eddy?"_

Anger for the man on the other line began to course through his veins so strong that he could hardly utter a single word in return. Several of the people in the small kitchen began to whisper and muttered things, or at least they sounded muttered to Ed whose blood was currently pounding so fast in his ears that he could hear little else.

"_So I was thinking…"_ Kimblee continued, sounding malicious and horribly happy, _"let's play a little game."_

"Kimblee…why the _fuck_ would I _ever_-?"

"_I don't think you realize what kind of position you're in,"_ he continued. _"You play my game with me…or you can say bye-bye to your wittle orphan sibwings."_

Edward's anger began to lessen slightly, just enough for his fear to rear its ugly little head into his heart. So this was how Kimblee would play it? Make Ed run and scramble around as he tried to keep up with his insane game and then…what? Ed tried not to think of what might lay at the end of this crazy goose-chase.

"F-fine," Ed shuddered. "Just…just let me hear one of them. No point in me playing if they're all…"

"_Dead?"_ Kimblee cackled. _"Aww….poor wittle Eddy can't even think about what could happen to his precious street rats. But fine…I guess that that it's only fair-."_

_Since when has Kimblee ever been fair? _Edward thought bitterly but was happy that he wasgoing to accept his wishes as well.

Ed could hear Kimblee set down the phone on something hard and heard retreating footsteps. His heart began to beat franticly when he heard voices in the background.

"_Get over you little shit!"_

"_No you damn asshole!"_

_SLAP!_

Kimblee has obviously struck Terry for his tongue. Ed could not help but feel a small piece of pride for the kid for defying Kimblee. But he remembered now was not the time and place that Terry should choosing to finally stick up against Kimblee.

"_I'm not planning on doing anything else as long as you cooperate. Try that again and…" _Kimblee's voice dropped too low for Edward to hear his threat to hear, not matter how hard Ed pressed his phone into his ear. "_Now get over here…remember, just say hi and then get out and if you try to tell him anything about where we are you'll be skinned alive. Now talk."_

"Terry?" Ed asked hopefully.

"_H-hey Ed_," Ed could hear that the brave front he was desperately trying to put up had already crumbled.

Ed did not know how much time he had but hoped he could say a bit more, so he went on, hoping that this would not get the kids into anymore trouble.

"I'm sorry…" Ed said quietly, trying his hardest to not beak down in front of all his friends and family.

"_I-it's not your fault idiot…"_ Terry continued and Ed could hear it that he was trying not to break down too.

"Yeah it is…I should have come home as soon as I got your messages," Ed muttered, collapsing forwards so that his elbows rested on his knees and his head was downturned, shielded by his bangs just in case he could not keep his emotions in check.

"_So you got them…"_

"Terry, tell me, how are Sammy and Kyl-?"

"_Bye-bye!"_ Kimblee said into the phone before it appeared that Terry was pulled away from the phone. There was more scrambling and words that Ed could not decipher before Kimblee came back onto the line_. "So, you've got your proof, now you can play along."_

Edward wanted to yell, to scream and threaten the man but for once he restrained himself; he knew that only bad things would come from him cussing out Kimblee at a time like this.

"_So, go to the old, abandoned GM factory on the other side of town."_

"What after that?" Ed asked through clenched teeth.

"_Just stay there and wait for a call. Take as long as you want, I'm not the one who will suffer if you take too long. Oh, and don't you dare try to contact the police or anyone else…because it will cost you more than you think if you do."_

The line clicked to an end before Ed could say anything else. When he looked up at the others he found that the room had gone dead silent and that everyone's eyes were on him. Ed let out a raged sigh before he stuffed his phone into his pocket and stood up.

"Come on," Ed muttered as he took a step towards the back door.

"What did he say?" Winry asked.

"He's decided that he wants us to play a game," Ed said bitterly. "Basically he's going to make us go from place to place and give us instructions that we have to follow."

"What?" Half the room asked in confusion.

"What happens when we've done everything he's told us to do?" Roy asked.

Ed opened his mouth but closed it after a moment and merely shrugged his shoulders.

"All I know is that we better just follow along with Kimblee's damn twisted game."

"Where did he tell you to go Edward?" Hohenheim asked quietly while his eyes searched his oldest son's solemn face.

"The abandoned GM building across town," he answered. "He didn't give us a time limit or anything, he just told not to take too long."

"How are we going to get there?" Jean asked, seeing as most of their cars were currently parked in the parking lot of the Tallahassee airport.

"We could run to my house and ask for my mom's mini-van," Sheska offered. "I know my mom and dad went to a Spa for the weekend and they only took my dad's car."

"We'd still need another car," Maes said. "After we get the mini-van we could cram inside and run to my house to grab my car."

"Alright but we have to run," Ed said, taking a step out the back door. "It'll take a good ten minutes to run to Sheska's and then another five to drive to Maes and then we have to drive across town."

* * *

It must have been a strange sight for anyone who happened to drive passed them as they ran like maniacs to Sheska's house. Sure, if it was only a group of kids running, people would think little of it and be glad that there were kids outside instead of sitting in front of a computer in the dark. But what made the scene a strange one were the three fully grown adults, running along with the kids or huffing and puffing in the back.

Sheska had been correct in thinking that her parents had opted out of taking the minivan on their trip. It was like a clown car inside of the mini-van with eleven people in seven seats. Fortunately, the trunk area gave room to at least two more seats and with the small floor room it was only slightly uncomfortable and hot in the van. Thankfully the traffic was not bad on the side streets and they had arrived at Maes's house a few minutes later.

"I'll just be a minute," Maes said as he jumped, or more like fell, out of the crowded van before he ran up the drive and into his garage with Sheska, Riza, and Jean following behind him.

"Maes?"

Maes turned in horror to see his father peering out the kitchen window at them. The elder Hughes looked very similar to his father although the elder's eyes were blue and he did not have Maes' cowlick or his teenage facial hair. He was dressed for work and it appeared as if he had come home fore lunch instead of staying at the office.

"…Hi dad," Maes said, hoping like Hell he sounded innocent.

"I thought you were still in Florida son…?" he said, sounding extremely confused.

"Uh yeah…but, we, um…we came back early!" Maes said before changing the subject, hoping to take the spot light off of himself. "So why home so early Dad?"

"Um, I forgot to grab a report this morning and thought I should just grab it during lunch. But why didn't you call us-?"

"Love to stay and chat Mr. Hughes, really let's do it another time!" Jean yelled, pulling Maes a bit towards the garage. "But we're kinda in a hurry!"

In an instant, the four teens were inside the car and pulling out of the drive faster than they probably should have and were flying down the street behind the mini-van.

The old GM had only been abandoned for a year now but it had already been attacked by climate, animals, and teenaged vandals. They pulled in to the empty parking lot and began to walk towards what used to be the front of the building. Ed knew that somewhere…someplace…was a crony of Kimblee's who would alert him of Ed's arrival. But just incase one of his men were stationed in a spot where they could not see Ed…

"I'M HEAR KIMBLEE!" Ed screamed out into the high heavens, scaring away several flocks of birds.

The others gave him worried looks but knew better than to try and stop Edward; he did have a rather legitimate reason to be acting a little off today. Silence rang out after Ed's loud yell for almost five minutes; no one dared talk for some odd reason. Finally, Ed's phone began to vibrate in Ed's clenched fist. He didn't bother saying hello since the caller I.D. continued to say Unknown.

"We're here," Ed barked into the phone. "What now?"

"_My, my…not even a hello_?" Kimblee muttered absentmindedly.

"Just get on with it! Tell me what you want already! Money?" Ed growled.

"_While money is a nice touch…no, at least, not quite."_

"Just spit it out already."

"_Fine then you brat. Do you know where the old Metro hospital is, a few towns over and is about a half an hour away?"_

"No."

"_Heh…here I thought you would have but I guess not. Well I'm sure your daddy does so why don't you ask him. Be there soon or else."_

Ed closed his phone after the line went dead and stuffed it into his pocket before he began to storm over to the group. He took Kimblee's advice for once and went over to his father.

"He told me to ask you where the Metro Hospital a few towns over is," Ed said, ignoring the others questions. "Do you know it?"

"Yes…but why would he want us to go there?" Hohenheim seemed to ask this question more to himself.

The car ride to the hospital was anticlimactic and irritating. Why the hell was Kimblee making them go farther and farther away? Was he merely doing this to get them out of the way so that he could make is move?

* * *

The hospital parking lot was filled with cars and people coming and going. The group marched towards the visitor entrance and it was here, standing in front of the building that Ed realized that he did actually know this hospital, quiet well in fact.

"What is it Brother?" Al asked as he stared at his frozen brother.

"I know this place…" Ed muttered just loud enough for the others to hear and stop them in their tracks.

"You do?" Izumi asked.

"This was the hospital I stayed at after the accident. Once they knew I wasn't going to die, they shipped me here for a few months."

Izumi and Hohenheim exchanged looks that Ed couldn't even begin to decipher. Just as a large, dark-haired man skulked out of the hospital's automatic doors, Ed's phone went off.

This time there was no playing around, no asking to talk to a kids, Kimblee only uttered nine words clearly before he cut the line.

"What happened?" Winry asked, confused by the extremely short call.

"'Go to the place where you found the truth'," Ed said aloud, looking at the group.

"That's all he said?" Roy asked.

"Yeah…and I know just where to go," Ed said with a sudden smile.

"Where?" Hohenheim asked.

"To the place where I found out that I had a brother."

The small joy Ed got from realizing he understood Kimblee's cryptic clue quickly left him when he realized that the drive could take up to another hour and a half. But why was he going to all of these weird places? Sure, the hospital and his old social worker's office made sense, tying it to him, but…the GM building? That made no sense at all. He had never ever messed around there.

The building looked just as abandoned as I did a few weeks ago when he made Roy and Jean come with him and broke in with Roy's help. It felt like years had passed since that fateful night; how could it have only been a few weeks?

"Does he mean that we have to break into that room or just stay here?" Roy asked Ed.

"Don't know…" Ed muttered, gripping his phone tightly waiting for it to start to buzz; he really didn't feel like climbing through a room of file cabinets.

Fortunately it began to ring. Before Kimblee could utter a word, Ed yelled into the phone, "Let me here them Kimblee! I've had enough of your games!"

"_Go back to your home_," Kimblee muttered icily after Ed had stopped yelling.

Before Ed could really get his head around what had been said, the line clicked dead again.

Ed nearly bit threw his tongue as he tried to contain his scream of frustration and rage and just barely stopped himself from tossing the phone onto the ground.

"What now?" Maes asked quietly.

"Damn bastard…he just said to go back home!" Ed yelled. "What the Hell is he doing?"

"So what…?" Riza asked. "We go back to Kimblee's?"

"Edward, were those his exact words?" Hohenheim asked.

"Um, well he said 'go back to your home'. What else could it be?"

"Do you think he could mean…the house we lived in? We as in you, Alphonse, Trisha and, I?"

"Huh?"

"I simply mean to say that well…I wouldn't think you considered Kimblee's house as a home, just a house, a place to stay at. But your _home _was with your family."

"But…but I thought it was destroyed."

"Oh it was," Hohenheim whispered gravely. "But that does not mean that there isn't something there."

* * *

It would take over two hours to get from the old building to whatever remained of Ed's old home. By that time it would already be night fall and Edward hoped that Kimblee would at least allow him to talk to one of the kids once they got to their destination.

Unfortunately for Ed, the odds just seemed to keep piling up against him. About a half and hour into their trip, black smoke began to gush out of the car behind them: Maes' car. Containing his fury for only a few moments, Ed allowed his father to pull over onto the side of the road to see their damage.

"_Shit!_!" Maes exclaimed as he opened the hood and was instantly attacked by smoke.

"Here, let me look at it," Winry said, pushing passed the teen.

"What's wrong with it?" Ed couldn't help but ask and hoped that he didn't sound too demanding.

"Not sure," Winry muttered as she slammed the hood shut before she turned to look at Ed. "But this car is not moving much farther."

"What?"

"So go," Winry said, nodding towards the van. "You'll only lose time on us_. Go_. We'll be fine."

"But…" Ed mumbled.

"Just go!" Jean insisted.

"Honey," Izumi said, turning to look at Sig, "would you might staying with them so they stay safe?"

"Sure," Sig grunted, causing Izumi to beam and the teens staying behind to look wary of such a large man staying with them.

"Just call us when you get the next direction," Winry said.

Ed wanted to say something to her but didn't have a clue as to what he should say to her. So he nodded quickly before running back into the van.

* * *

"So how long do you think it'll take?" Winry asked the mechanic.

"Oh…maybe two or three days at least," he said, causing everyone to suddenly feel a brick drop into their stomachs.

"Alright," Winry said with a sigh. "Thank you."

After plenty of waiting, the tow-truck they had called arrived and took them along with Maes's busted car to the nearest garage. Over an hour had passed since the group had split and Winry wondered how much longer it would take to get there. But for now this half of the group was stranded.

"So what now?" Jean asked as he stared around the empty street.

"Do you think we should just go to a police station?" Winry asked, sounding worried.

"Didn't Ed tell us not to contact police?" Riza asked.

"Well yeah but could Kimblee really have enough people to tail everyone? We could tell the police what's going on and tell them the clues as we get them and maybe a special team of undercover cops or something could tail them."

Winry looked around desperately at the group. It was going to get dark soon and being stranded in the dark in an unknown place certainly unnerved Winry enough to seek refuge in a police station, even if Ed had told her not to.

"We don't really have anywhere else to go…" Jean muttered as a shady-looking hobo gave Jean a look. "And this place is kinda giving me the creeps."

"I don't want to be standing around in the dark," Sheska whispered.

"It's not a good idea for young people like you to be wandering around in the dark," Sig said in his deep voice.

"Let's just ask the mechanic where the police station is," Winry said, motioning to the garage behind them. "What harm could it do to send some extra help?"

After taking a few minutes to get some directions from the old mechanic, the group set off to find the police station. After quickly deciding against trying to get a cab or two, they decided to run there; run because it was getting steadily darker out and Winry was right to assume that it was dangerous to run around an area they didn't know in the dark.

Oblivious to the rest of the world, the group of teens and Sig continued to run towards their destination of the Police station. Maes lead the group with Jean only a nose behind the dark haired teen. Riza kept up with the two boys just fine with Winry only a bit behind her; Sheska and Sig brought up the rear, huffing and puffing behind the more physically fit teens.

Unfortunately, being oblivious can sometimes be a problem; a rather large one that brings you to a halting stop.

There were no headlights but they should have at least heard the noises of the oncoming vehicle but between the noise of their own blood pulsing in their ears and the pounding of their feet on the pavement, it was really rather easy to not hear anything. They knew running in the streets at night was a rather reckless thing to do but they all thought that they would see the lights of the car before it came too close; too bad the driver of the car in question had purposely turned off its lights.

Just as Maes and Jean took a step into the deserted intersection, Riza heard the noise and looked desperately for the lights but when she realized where they were, it was already much to late for even someone of the fastest reflexes.

The car continued on through the intersection, barely even swerving or slowing down as it plowed through the two teens.

"_MAES! JEAN!"_ Riza screamed as loudly as humanly possible before she pushed her body to its limit and continued to run towards the boys.

Riza heard the others scream out and in fear or confusion, for they were too far back to see what had happened in the night. She could already see the outline of Jean pushing his body off of the ground; this loosened the great ball of fear that had twisted itself up in an instance. But the form of Maes continued to lie on the pavement, not moving.

"MAES!" Riza couldn't help but scream as she skidded to a halt and collapsed on her knees in front of the teen.

"W-what h-h-happened?" Jean moaned before he collapsed back onto the pavement, gripping one of his legs that was obviously broken due to the sickenly odd angle it was twisted into.

Riza could not and would not answer to him for she was too busy trying soak in the image before her.

She had never seen anyone look so broken before. His right arm and both of his legs looked broken, lying at a clearly unnatural angle. Blood was quickly soaking through his shirt, staining it a deep crimson that made her stomach churn ever so slightly. His face was covered and cuts and scrapes that were already bleeding thickly, along with already forming bruises. His glasses had been knocked off by the force and were no where in sight; probably just as broken as their owner.

"Maes!" Riza said, giving his shoulders a shake. "_Maes!"_

Riza noted dully that someone was screaming for help in the back ground and that Sig had moved forward to help Jean. It appeared that most of the others were in shock, unable to retrieve their cell phones from their pockets to call for help.

"Maes Hughes answer me dammit!" Riza screamed through blinding tears as she continued to shake the limp and unmoving form, barely aware that shaking him might not be the best thing to do.

But Maes did not answer and Riza was not sure if he ever would again. Exhaustion and fear mounted until it began to cripple Riza, and forced her to collapse onto the pavement, sobbing uncontrollably as she went into shock.

* * *

***evil writers smirk***

**...You see Winry, that's what you get when you don't listen...**

**Well again I'm sorry to say that updates will slow down now that school is starting up and I have no idea when I'll be able to update this again but whenever I get the chance, I'll try and update this first...since this was just an awful cliffy I gave you.**

**Ugh...screw school...**

**-FSK**


	38. Captured

**Hi everyone! ****Thanks a bunch for your reviews last chapter. I wanted to get this to you sooner but...school.**

**In case anyone cares, my first week of school sucked. It was hot and filled with so many stupid people and I kept getting pounding headaches from the said stupid people and work. :( Did not like it.**

**Here you go though. Thanks again to my beta Dani-Chan. :)**

* * *

Edward didn't know what to expect when they finally reached the remains of his old home. He didn't even know where to even picture where he might have lived. But seeing this…

His house seemed to have once stood at the edge of the small town, only a few healing trees surrounded where the house once stood; no next door neighbors. Ed could only imagine how calm it must have been to live here but a location like this had its draw-backs; like not having a neighbor to see the smoke and flames quickly as your house burned to the ground.

A small forest floor sat where Edward's house once sat only a few years prior. Long, untamed grass sat in patched, saplings sprouted up and out of the ground, butterflies and bumble-bees floated lazily in the summer sun. It was beautiful and heartbreaking at the same time.

"What do we do know?" Ed asked in an emotionless voice, his face blank.

No one answered; Ed was glad since they all knew what they had to do know. Wait for Kimblee to give them a call and then string them along just a bit more. Ed was tired of not being able to control his own life and once he got a hold of Kimblee again, he'd make sure that Kimblee knew this for a fact.

The dull vibrating that was sent up Ed's arm and in his shoulder was hardly worth Ed's noticing now. Sighing slightly, Ed gritted his teeth, and answered the phone.

"What?" Ed snapped.

_"Tut-tut Eddy. No manners? You keep up with that attitude and I just may have to do something to keep you in line."_

Edward gulped and shook his head. No. He had to keep his head; lives were at stake here. This was not just some twisted version of phone tag or hide-and-seek. It was real and he was dead serious.

"Sorry," Ed muttered, feeling bile rise in his throat at the single words to the man who had made his life hell.

_"Better. Now, go into the forest that's behind your house."_

"Huh?"

_"Did I stutter? Go back there. And leave your little crew behind."_

Ed looked at the others; a large ball of nerves began to crawl around the pit of his stomach. Everything about these directions screamed a horrible foreboding but…if this was what Kimblee wanted him to do, then he'd do it. For the kids.

"Fine. How far back?" Edward asked quietly, hoping the others would not hear.

"_Oh…just a bit. There's a clearing a after some trees and brush but it should only take a few minutes,"_Kimblee said; his tone sounded disgustingly entertained. _"And I will know if you bring your Daddy or your wittle brother with you."_

Edward instinctively looked up and turned around, searching for anything that may be a spy for Kimblee. He saw nothing and only heard a cackle on the other end of the phone.

_"Oh you can look all over but you won't find them!" _Kimblee laughed into the phone. "_And remember, go alone or you can say 'bye-bye' to the kiddies."_

The line went dead after this. Ed glared back into the forest and thought for a moment. This would be a perfect opportunity for Kimblee to ambush him but…wouldn't the others hear if he was being attack? They were only a bit away and if Kimblee was telling the truth, they should be able to hear him yell or something.

Just do it, Edward growled to himself. Do it and get it over with.

"What did he say?" Izumi asked.

"He told me to…to walk into the forest there until I reach the clearing," Ed said, motioning towards the wall of green. "Alone. He said he would know if you guys went."

"You do realize that's suicidal right?" Roy asked, looking at him as if Ed had gone insane.

"It doesn't matter!" Ed yelled. "I have to do it!"

"He could just be playing with you brother," Al said quietly. "He could just be stringing you along-."

"I KNOW, AL!" Ed yelled angrily as he began to stomp off towards the forest. "But I can't just stand around and NOT do anything!"

"Wait," Hohenheim said calmly as Ed began to step into the overgrowth. "You should still be careful. We can't let you just go out into…who knows what alone."

"But I can't-."

"Just yell something every few feet," Hohenheim continued. "Just yell that you're okay. How long did he tell you to go?"

"Just into this clearing," Ed sighed as he ran his fingers through his ragged hair. "He said it was close but…who knows."

"What should he yell if there's trouble?" Roy asked.

"How about 'Help'?" Ed supplied angrily, getting annoyed with the time they were wasting.

"Alright," Hohenheim said heavily. "But be_ careful._"

"I know."

Edward ripped open an opening in the dense foliage with his right arm before he stepped in with his left leg and began to plow his way through. He was worried slightly when he realized how much sound the plants seemed to block out and muffle but he wasn't that worried; he'd been known to yell awfully loud.

"Edward?" he heard his father call out.

"I'm _fine!_" Ed yelled, feeling a bit like a little kid. But he knew he would have to be on his toes. He was stomping so loudly through the forest that he wasn't sure if he would be able to hear anyone else sneak up on him.

After every step, Edward felt his nerves escalate, thinking more and more that Kimblee would be hiding in the bushes, ready to sneak up on him and attack at just the right moment; like a hunter stalking his prey. But in all reality, he was Kimblee's prey. Kimblee was just playing with his food, letting him think that there might be some possibility that he could actually save them…

"…ed…ard…" said a muffled voice

"FINE!" Ed yelled loudly, hoping the others heard him.

Finally, Ed pushed through the last of the dense wall of greens and almost tumbled into the clearing. The clearing was just a small circle of oddly empty space, about the size of a backyard swimming pool. Feeling a small amount of annoyance flood his brain, Edward gripped his phone and glared at it, daring for it to ring.

Suddenly Ed felt a small pinch on the back of his neck, just like a bug bite. Ed swung his left hand back to slap off whatever bug was feasting on his neck but he felt something much bigger than a bug…

As Ed turned around to stare at the form of large man, his vision began to fade into black and he felt his muscles relaxed too much to support his body any longer. Ed tried to reach out to stop his attacker but fell to the soft ground before he could take a step further. As his vision became almost completely black, Ed remembered what his father had told him to do but it was already much too late to do anything.

"Sleep tight…" a deep voice said as Ed went into unconsciousness.

* * *

"Ugh…my head," Edward groaned what felt like moments later.

His head felt like it was filled with bricks and he felt like there was cotton pushing on the backs of his eyes. Ed's vision kept sliding in and out of focus but he could tell that he was defiantly not back in the forest. He was somewhere completely different.

"Oh, look who's awake."

Ed tried his best to keep his eyes open so that he could glare properly at the man but found it hard when his vision still continued to go in and out of focus. Kimblee stood before him, dressed formally and looking as smug as ever. Ed then noticed his surroundings.

He appeared to be in some sort of basement, alone except for Kimblee, who stood near what appeared to be a flight of steps. He tried to move his hands when he felt them cramping up but found to his immense displeasure that Kimblee had put hand-cuffs on his wrists.

"Where am I?" Ed spat.

"In a basement," Kimblee responded, looking horribly full of glee, as if Christmas had come early.

"Tell me where the Hell I am right now Kimblee or else I'll-!"

"You'll what?" he asked, raising an eyebrow. "Throw a hissy fit? You're not really in any sort of position to be making threats now don't you think? You never were actually."

"What did you do to me?" Ed asked quietly, glaring as intensely as he could at the man.

His body still was not responding quite correctly and he felt so exhausted. More exhausted than anyone in his situation should probably feel.

"Simple: had one of my men give you a sedative while you weren't looking," Kimblee said before he let out a small laugh and shook his head. "You were so busy and determined on finding that spot that you didn't even notice my men walking along with you. Unbelievable. Would never have pegged you as _that_ stupid."

"What was I supposed to do? I had to follow along in your sick and twister game!"

"Yes but you could have done it a bit more gracefully."

"Just tell me where the fuck they are!" Ed shouted, feeling as if a cap had been taken off a shaken bottle, his anger flowing out rapidly like foam now that the drug seemed to have dissipated.

"Well this game is so very entertaining to watch but I may have let you seen them if…" Kimblee muttered as he lazily studied his cuticles.

"What?" Edward growled.

"If your little friends would have stuck to the rules," Kimblee finished, staring Ed down, all of his casualness gone, his eyes dead serious and slightly scary.

"Huh?" Ed asked, heart pounding.

"You're dumb girlfriend _Winry _decided to run to the cops and try and stop me."

"W-what?"

"Yes. And I had to have them be stopped. Fortunately I did derail them for quit a while now," Kimblee said, sounding horribly pleased once more. "I saw the whole thing: I sent one of my men to follow them, they were running in the middle of the street, dark out, acting stupider than you in fact."

"What did you do?" Ed growled through clenched teeth.

"Well…let's just say that's it's so easy to hit a bunch of fool-hardy kids when they're running around in the streets at night."

* * *

"Maes!" Winry yelled once she had finally broken out of her shock.

Winry ran the last few feet to the broken sight in front of her. There was blood everywhere and she had no idea whose blood it was. Kneeling down next to Maes, Winry gently moved Riza's collapsed body from off of his chest. She was trying to remember first aid and other medical information that she had learned years ago but…nothing came to mind. Finally Winry moved her hands towards Maes bleeding throat and began to check his pulse with shaking fingers.

Loud, screaming cries of the ambulance someone had the common sense to call got louder and louder as is came closer and closer; it stopped only a few feet away from the group. EMT's quickly jumped from the back of the truck and began to push and shove their way through the group. Two EMT's gripped both Riza and Winry and walked them over a few feet and out of the away.

Winry looked over at the group. Sheska was downright bawling her eyes out, crying hysterically and letting out loud and ugly sobs that probably woke up the occupants of the nearby house. This was understandable; Sheska always seemed rather close to Maes. Riza sat on the curb next to Winry. She looked broken and confused as she stared down at her shaking, blood-

_Maes's blood_

-covered hands while her eyes poured out tear after tear. Sig was talking to a policeman, looking unusually nervous. Jean lay on his back as two EMT's helped him on a gurney, a neck brace wrapped tightly around his neck. He looked unbelievably pale and scared.

Winry stood there and watched as the two Ambulances loaded their people inside, flicked on their wailing signals, and departed. Tears pored from her own eyes, or at least she had to assume this since her vision was blurring heavily and her cheeks felt moist. But she was numb. Numb to everything except for the horribly faint fluttering of Maes' slowing heart.

* * *

**Well is he or isn't he? Sorry that I just keep pissing you guys off but...gotta do it; part of the job.**

**Hope to update again in a week or so but...you never know how busy I'll be in school. I'm so exhausted right now...**

**Oh, and I'm going to put up another cute fanart pic for this story. I'll put up a link on my account.**

**Please review!**

**-FSK**


	39. The Factory

**Oh geez... so terribly sorry about this. Really, I am. But I'm not going to explain my humongous line of excuses and complaints against my teachers here. If for some reason you do, I have a rant on my Deviant Art account (you can get there through my profile). But it basically includes crazy teachers, extracurriculars, my crappy old pieces of technology along with a five-day sickness.**

**But I'm all better now and I managed to put this up so... please don't be that mad at me. If I could have had this chapter here two weeks ago, I would have.**

**Enjoy. ^^**

* * *

"Edward!" Hohenheim yelled. "EDWARD!"

"Should we go check on him?" Alphonse asked nervously.

"Maybe we should in a minute or two," Roy said quietly, staring into the green wall and trying to find any spot of gold that could be Edward.

"Do you think that's wise?" Izumi asked. "I know that it's dangerous to let Edward be out in open alone for so long but is it a safe idea for the kids?"

"I just a chance we're going to have to take," Roy said.

Hohenheim took a few steps forwards and ripped a hole in the green wall before he took a deep breath and let out his loudest possible yell. He tried his best to push away the panic that was eating away at his chest but found that it would not go away any time soon; the burden of being a parent.

"We should go," Hohenheim said after a moment of silence. "Or at least, one or two of us should go and see if he's alright."

"Your call," Izumi said. "Who wants to go?"

"I do!" Al yelled instantly.

"No way," Roy said. "I'll go. If someone of Kimblee catches you, Ed would do anything to get you and the kids back. He could stand to lose me."

"He can't stand to lose anyone! That's why we're in this mess."

"No Alphonse, we're in this mess because of a sadistic man," Hohenheim said calmly before he turned to look at Izumi. "One of us should stay here and one should go looking for Edward."

"Right. I'll go and look for him," Izumi said. "You and Alphonse stay over there by traffic light."

"Why?" Al asked, confused.

"So that is something were to happen, odds are you would be picked up on a traffic camera and would gain some harder proof of what Kimblee's been doing."

"Right."

"Stay out in the open," Izumi said before she took a step into the thick greens. "Roy, stay close to me."

Roy gave a nod before he followed Izumi into the green forest. Al and Hohenheim began to take the short walk towards the intersection, neither talking for a moment.

"Do you think Ed will be alright Dad?"

"…I don't know Alphonse."

* * *

"ED!" Roy yelled before he snagged his foot on another tree root, causing him to trip for at least the fifth time. "Damn trees!"

"Quit making such a racket!" Izumi growled. "If they did get Edward, then they might still be nearby and they'll defiantly know that we're following them if you don't _shut up."_

"Sor_ry_," Roy muttered sarcastically, earning a whack on the back of the head.

The two moved forwards until the greens began to thin gradually until they were standing at the edge of the small clearing. Roy felt as if the bottom of his stomach dropped out at the sight of the empty space. Izumi let out a small curse, clenching her fist.

"They got him," she whispered angrily.

"How do you know for sure? He could have just gotten another order," Roy said, trying to find another logical reason as to why his friend was not there in the clearing, waiting for them.

"I don't know. But we should go back and tell Hohenheim all the same."

Roy and Izumi turned around and began to struggle back through the thick vegetation. It took them both several minutes to get back through the forest and into the cleared land. The two then ran as fast as they could down the street until they reached Alphonse and Hohenheim.

"Well?" Hohenheim asked as the two stood, doubled-over and panting. Worry showed in every line of his face and his gold eyes held fear.

"He's wasn't there Hohenheim," Izumi answered.

"What?" Al exclaimed, sounding horrified.

"Kimblee must have gotten him."

"But…but what do we do now?" Al asked, sounding close to hysterics.

"We either wait or we try to figure out where he took Edward," Hohenheim said calmly.

"Well then were do you think he might have taken Edward?" Izumi asked.

Hohenheim let his mind wander into thought, trying to imagine all of the odd places Kimblee might have ordered his men to take his son. He thought of all of the places Kimblee had taken them over the course of the day… and then he thought of the one place that did not make any sense. The GM building back by Edward's house. It could just be a wild guess that would lead them into a trap or even may just be a wrong turn, but it was the only thing Hohenheim could think of.

* * *

"What did you do you bastard?" Edward roared, heart pounding as he tried unsuccessfully to break out of his restraints.

"Why should I tell you when it's so much more fun to let your mind wander into the possibilities?" Kimblee whispered gleefully.

"TELL ME!"

"No," Kimblee said, turning around so that his back was facing Ed.

"Huh?"

"No."

Kimblee looked over his shoulder at Edward's frozen expression for a moment before smiling and walking out of the room, leaving Edward alone, furious, and scared out of his mind for his friends.

"How the Hell am I…?" Ed muttered as he struggled to get out of his restraints.

Edward's head looked upward as noises floated downward from above. He tried to distinguish voices or even words, but they all blurred together in a mash-up of baritones.

_Should I yell? _Ed thought.

There was a slim possibility that maybe the people upstairs, wherever he was being held, did not know exactly what was going on and did not approve of the kidnapping, drugging, and restraining of children. As Ed opened his mouth to yell out for help, he could hear Kimblee's voice. He could not understand the words but knew it was his and suddenly knew that it would not be wise to yell when his captor was so close above him. If the others were working for Kimblee, regardless if they were good or bad, they probably would let Kimblee deal with whatever had yelled if Kimblee said so.

He was trapped and he'd just have to deal with it until Kimblee was far away.

* * *

There was no clock in the dark, dank basement, so he had no real idea as to what time it was. He couldn't even hazard a guess as to how long he had been gone because of the knock-out from the drug. Who knew if anyone had realized he was gone or if Sammy, Terry, or Kyle were still an object or worry. They could easily be dead by now…

"I need to get out of here," Edward growled, feeling like a caged animal.

Pushing aside all previous reservations, Ed took the biggest breath possible before he expelled all of the air from his lungs into one, ear shattering yell of help. Ed expected commotion to come from the one yell, maybe some hurried footsteps, perhaps just a single set of tired footsteps…but what he did not expect was silence.

_What the Hell?_

Had they all left? Had Kimblee given all of his crony's orders to leave Ed for dead, tied up in a basement somewhere? It was plausible, considering who it was coming from, but a situation Ed did not want to put himself in. Just as Ed was about to let out another scream, he heard something.

_Footsteps_

Two sets of heavy footsteps and deep voices were coming his way. He felt a small bit of relief when he realized that neither of the voices belonged to Kimblee. It took the people a few intense moments until they were outside of the door and Ed could just barely make out the voices.

_"…think this is a good idea? Mr. Kimblee would be pissed."_

_"I think pissed is a bit of an understatement. And why do you keep calling him Mr. Kimblee? We don't actually work for the man!"_

_"Yeah but there could be camera's or something stationed here."_

_"Paranoid much? Besides, by the time Kimblee figures any of this out, the kids should be long out of his hands and they'll be safe."_

_"Right. Just get the door open and get the kid out so that we can leave!"_

Edward quickly tried to process everything that had been said between the two men in the seconds it took to open the door. They did not actually work for Kimblee? So that meant that… they were good? But then why were they working for him? But before he could process this anymore, the door flew open, revealing two men to Edward.

They were both large and muscular and both appeared to be around their thirties. The slightly taller one had short golden hair, a peculiar mustache, and glasses. The other was bulkier, had short, dark hair, old mutton-chop sort of facial hair and hairy forearms. The three stared at each other for a few silent moments before the blond spoke.

"So you're awake? I guess that makes this a little easier."

"Who are you guys?" Ed asked.

"Undercover detectives," the dark-haired said, taking a few steps forwards.

"Wait-_what_? Why are you-?"

"We can fill him in later Darius," the blond said, moving forwards until he was in front of Edward. "Now hand me the key."

"Here."

"Seriously, who the Hell are you guys? Can I at least know your names?" Edward yelled, turning to look both of the men in the face.

"My names Heinkel," the blond said as he released his arms.

"I'm Darius."

"Now get up kid before Kimblee has one of his snoops coming to check up on you," Heinkel said, giving Edward's arm a firm tug. "Don't just sit there! You want out don't you?"

"R-right," he said, scrambling up onto slightly numb feet. "Do you guys know where Terry-?"

"Perhaps," Heinkel said, cutting Edward off. "We think they might be somewhere in this building."

"And where exactly is this place?"

"Just filled with questions aren't you kid?" Darius grumbled. "We're in an old factory. Kimblee's been using this factory as headquarters for his underground operations."

"Which are?"

"That's classified information kid," Heinkel said.

"Quit calling me 'kid'!" Ed yelled, his temple twitching slightly. "And I think I have a right to know at least to some extent what he's been doing."

"And why do you think that?" Darius asked. "It's not like you're important; just a kid who got mixed up in Kimblee's trap."

"I'm NOT a kid! And I have to know because he kidnapped a bunch of little kids who were practically my siblings!"

Heinkel and Darius paused for a moment, exchanging glances over Edward, before the continued walking. They were silent for another moment before Darius spoke up.

"We got information that Kimblee might have been in the drug ring."

"And was he?"

"Nope. But he was selling and trading things on a Black Market of sorts. We could chuck him in prison just for that."

"And when you add in the kidnapping, he gets a few years added onto his sentence," Heinkel finished.

"What else could he get for a couple of years of child abuse?" Ed asked quietly.

The two men once again, exchanged glances over Edward. They looked slightly surprised, but not all that shocked by what Ed had said to them. Maybe they didn't know the full extent of Kimblee's crimes.

"We don't have any proof on that," Darius said gravely, looking Ed right into the eyes with an odd, animalistic unblinking gaze. "But if you want him in jail for it, you're going to have to speak to the judge."

"I don't care," he said fiercely. "Anything to get him behind bars."

"Well, let's get a move on and find those kids."

"And then we can find Kimblee?" Ed asked, eagerly.

"That's a job for the police k- Edward."

"I don't fucking care! Kimblee's been playing with me for years and it's high time I get some revenge!"

"You know the saying-?"

"Yeah, yeah, 'and eye for an eye makes the whole world blind'. But I don't care! He killed my mother! He did this to me!" Ed yelled as he flailed his automail arm in front of their faces. "He fucking deserves what I have planned for him!"

As Darius opened his mouth to respond, Heinkel stepped in-between the two and said, "We don't have time for this useless squabbling! Do you want those kids safe or not?"

"Of course."

"Then come one. We only have an idea of half of this place and Kimblee could be back any minute now."

"Where'd he go?" Ed asked, keeping up with the two men.

"We don't know. But he never stays here for more than a day at a time."

"Do you think he's back at the house?" Darius asked.

"Could be," Heinkel said.

"We could call one of the guys to go look at it."

"Later."

* * *

The dark night sky made the large building seem like a mountain to the group. Very few lights stood around the old parking lot; only a couple of feeble lap posts flickered now and again to add to the minor glow of the small town. Even driving as fast as they could when they could, the drive back still took over two hours.

Alphonse looked down at the cell phone in his tightly clenched hand. No one had called and he was not quiet sure whether that was a good or bad thing. He had to wonder where the others were; whether they had managed to get back home or if they were on their way over here. Al had called them all once but no one answered; a peculiar thing happened when he dialed Maes's phone, it said that the connection was broken. They should have had a minute to call or text them by now and it was troubling.

"Should we just go in?" Roy asked.

"There may be booby-traps," Al said, nervously staring at the dark outline of the building.

"Or they may be nothing," Hohenheim said pleasantly. "This may not be where they are at all and Kimblee could be miles away by now."

"Well…putting aside all of those cheery thoughts, we should probably come up with a plan," Roy said.

"Does anyone have any weapons?" Izumi asked.

"I have a pocket knife," Roy answered, taking out the small knife from the depths of his pocket. "Not much use though."

"Should we call the police for back up?"

"Not until we've found anything," Hohenheim said. "There'd be hell to pay if we caused a false alarm. We'll just have to be careful."

After a moment of mental preparation, the four people, Izumi leading with Hohenheim bringing up the rear, slowly and silently crept into the building. It was darker inside the building, lacking the natural light of the moon and the lights from the city, causing a lot of bumping and close calls.

"This isn't going to work," Izumi sighed after she stopped Al from his fifth stumble on something.

"I can't see anything."

"Wait," Roy muttered before there was the sound of rustling before a bright white light illuminated hall. "There we go."

Roy had taken out his cell phone and after so being in the darkness for so long, it blinded all of their unprepared eyes. They all hissed and told him to put it away as they rubbed spots form their eyes.

"It's too bright," Izumi hissed. "We can't use it. Someone could see it way ahead of us."

"But we need to see. So let's just flash it in a hall for a few seconds because I don't think all this tripping and yelling we're doing is very stealthy."

Izumi relented after a moment but told Roy no more for now and to warn them before they did. They group silently and carefully stepped around dark objects until they hit what appeared to be a dead end.

"Damn."

"We'll just have to go all the way back and go the other direction."

"What if there is actually nothing here?"

"We have to spend more than five minutes in here to find that out."

"_Wait,_" Izumi hissed as the men's footsteps began to retreat.

"What?"

"Did you find anything?"

"Yeah."

"What?"

"A door handle," she whispered, glee present in her voice. "Roy, flash the light over here."

"I already looked at the entire wall," he muttered but did what she asked anyways. "There's nothing there."

"No, look."

Izumi pointed a slender finger the edge of the wall. There, only a few inches wide, was a small indent covered in rust-colored metal. It was big enough for someone's fingers to slide in and pull it, like a sliding door on a patio.

"Should we try it?"

Izumi pressed her ear to the door and the rest fell silent for a few moments, allowing her absolute silence.

"I don't hear anyone…but why would this be here?" Izumi ran her fingers over the hand hold again. "It's been made to b camouflaged in with the rust and the other odd grooves on the door."

"So maybe someone's in there?"

"Possibly."

Izumi put both of her hands into the door and pulled as hard as she could. It took several tries before the door relented and slide open for them.

"Whoa," Al whispered.

It was painfully obvious that someone was using the building for something. Yellow lights hung down from the ceiling, boxes were stacked along the walls. All of the holes in the walls and ceiling appeared to be patched up with plaster and they could also see the only window in the room was boarded up.

"Should we keep going?" Roy asked, pointing towards the door on the other side of the room.

"Might as well," Hohenheim muttered. "But only if no one else is around. If anyone hears any other voices, we have to hide quickly. Alphonse."

"Huh?"

"If I tell you to run, run. That goes the same for you Roy."

"Yes dad."

"Right."

With careful steps, the group moved down the semi-lighted hall until they reached a pair of steps. Up or down, up or down. The steps going up looked old and unused but the ones going down looked recently repaired, meaning that whoever was running whatever was going on in the building was downstairs. With every creak or groan of the stairs, they all froze, hearts beating erratically, ears straining to hear the tiniest of noise.

The first flight down brought them into a hallway that ended in a dead end. After several minutes of investigation, they all decided that the wall was just a wall and they continued down the next flight of steps.

"Wait," Roy breathed as they crept along a hallway that was almost as dark as the fist floor.

"What is it?"

"I think I heard someone."

The group all paused in fear as they tried to hear the voice Roy had pointed out. It felt like hours later when Hohenheim spoke up.

"I think I hear someone too. And they're coming this way."

"What do we do?"

"_Hide_," he hissed.

"_Where_?" Roy hissed back, feeling along the walls, trying to find a doorway or something to hide behind.

"We'll just have to ambush them," Izumi said, crouching behind an exposed beam. "On the count of three, we jump on them; it sounds like there are only two or three."

"Alright," Al said, finding a small hiding space in a cramped hole.

"One…"

The voices were getting closer and closer now. They could at least tell now that they were all male and that there were three.

"Two…"

One of the men sounded young, couldn't have been much over eighteen by the pitch of the voice but the other two were grown men.

"Three…"

"Do you even know where you're going?" one asked crankily.

"We would if the flash light didn't give out."

"So we're lost? Just peachy-."

"GO!"

"AGH!"

"WHAT THE HELL?"

"…Edward?"

"Huh? Dad?"

Roy wrestled his phone out of his pocket and shone it in the face of whoever he had in a tight headlock.

"AH! I'M BLIND!" Edward screeched.

"Whoa, my bad," Roy said, letting Ed go.

"What are you doing here brother?"

"What are you doing here?" Ed asked, rubbing his neck. "Did Kimblee tell you to come here?"

"No. We just guessed after he took you. It was the only place that didn't make sense."

"Did Winry or Maes call you guys yet?"

"No. We've called them but they won't pick up."

"Weird."

"But…who are these two?" Izumi asked, pointing to Darius and Heinkel.

"We're undercover detectives," Darius answered, fishing out his police badge from inside of his jacket.

"We've been watching Kimblee for a while now and have been watching him after someone accused him of drug trafficking."

"We found out about the kidnapping and we were trying to help Edward find the kids when we ran into you."

"Well there's nothing that way," Roy said, point over his shoulder.

"We came from the floor below and that's empty as well," Heinkel said.

"So where should we go?"

"There's only one other place besides up," Darius answered. "And I doubt he'd have the kids hiding up in air, closer to people who might hear them if they yelled for help."

"Where then?" Ed asked urgently.

"Follow me."

* * *

**Oooh, what's gonna happen?**

**I loved thinking of adding Heinkel and Darius to the story. It was last minute but I needed a reason to get Ed out of the basement when there is no alchemy.**

**Okay, question: Did anyone notice anything special about how I split up the two groups? If you notice it, you win a cookie. :)**

**T-T I know that this story will probably be wrapped up in like, two to three chapters. :( But it's amazing to think that this story ended up over 100, 000 words and will break 40 chapters when I initially thought it would only end up being 20. Got to stop before I start to cry...**

**Please wait around for chapter 40! I know that if will probably be the most epic chapter but that all comes down to opinions. I promise to have chapter 40 up before October. :P**

**BYE!**

**-FSK**


	40. The End of the Game

**AHHH! CHAPTER 40! YEEEAAAHHH! OVER 500 REVIEWS!**

**I can honestly say that I NEVER expected this story to grow past 20 but I am so happy I was about to let this story grow because I love it so. :)**

**This is a rather big chapter and this will be the last chapter before the much awaited/dreaded epilogue comes out. I'd like to thank my awesome friend and beta for editing this chapter! :D**

**Enjoy! :D**

* * *

The door was even more hidden than the entrance to the lower levels. Even after Darius had pointed it out to Edward, he still could not see any tell-tale make that there was a door in front of him. All of the walls looked the same down there: slate grey, cold, and with a few splotches of rust in random areas. Darius then shrugged and said that Kimblee had done a good job hiding it before digging in one of his coat pockets. After pulling out a small key-card, Darius pointed a fat finger to a small break in a rusty patch.

"See that?"

"See _what_?" Ed asked, annoyed.

"Just get on with it Darius," Heinkel grumbled. "We're wasting time standing around, complementing how well Kimblee's done in his attempts to hide from his own men."

"Fine."

Darius slipped the key-card into the slit in the wall before pulling it out quickly. Sudden realization hit Ed like a ton of bricks as a small beep met his ears before the wall panel began to slide into itself. Once the door was gone, it revealed a set of brand-new stairs made out of shiny, untouched metal. A blinding white light came out of the top of the ceiling, illuminating it all. Kimblee had made this recently with the purpose of hiding quite obvious now.

"How did you get the key?" Ed asked in utter disbelief.

"…it's complicated," Heinkel answered after a pause were he looked at Darius. "We can talk about it later. _After _we've found the kids."

Edward nodded heavily before he stepped inside the hidden stairwell and followed Heinkel and Darius down the steps with the others following behind him. With each flight they descended, they temperature appeared to drop more and more, giving everyone a small chill. The blinding light appeared to be the only light source in the stairs, cloaking them all in semi-darkness once again.

Ed had to wonder how far the stairs were taking them underground when they went down their fifth flight. After walking down the sixth, they came to a stop at a cold and intimidating hallway. It was long and empty, paneled in the same, cold metallic as the steps, even the floors were covered in the material. Soft yellow lights came out of the ceiling, allowing the floors to reflect like a mirror and bring a soft light to their adjusted eyes. He could not see what led on the other side of the hall or when it ended at all, making him uneasy.

"What do you think is at the end?" Ed asked in a whisper as a shiver passed through him.

"Hopefully the kids," Hohenheim answered in a calm voice.

"And Kimblee," Izumi said with malice in her voice. She did not like the ordeals they had been put through and was easily angered at the thought of Kimblee now.

"Let's keep moving," Roy said urgently, rubbing his arms to bring back some much needed warmth back in them.

It was freezing in the metal hallway and they were defiantly dressed for a hot summer day. Not for standing in an ice box over sixty feet into the ground.

"But we should be really careful," Alphonse said, his voice ringing hauntingly along the hall for a moment afterwards.

"I don't think Kimblee would have wasted money on booby-traps but he is right," Heinkel said. "We have to be quiet _and_ careful."

The walk was nerve-wracking. Every tiny noise seemed to be magnified in echo's and with their appearances blurrily reflected around them it made Ed feel as if more people were following him. Kimblee had probably done this on purpose; done this to unnerve his intruders before they got the chance to get to him and give him a possible edge.

Or maybe Edward was just becoming paranoid with everything that had happened. It was a strong possibility, most likely reality now. It was a real wonder how Ed couldn't be paranoid with everything that had happened to him in his short life.

Another small glow came from over Ed's head and, after craning his head upwards, he saw that there was another small light. The light was warm and soft, the exact opposite of what the hallway brought to you. Edward tried to bottle up the small sphere of warmth as he continued walking passed it but found it quickly dissipating. The hallway was beginning to get claustrophobic and oppressing; he had to hurry up and find the kids before he went insane.

"Edward," Hohenheim muttered.

"What is it?"

"Look," Hohenheim said, pointing forwards.

Squinting, Edward could see it. The hallway was ending. He could not see anything distinct except the end of the hall. Ed just hoped that there were some doors at the end.

"Come on," Ed said before he picked up his feet and began to run down the last stretch of the hall.

He did not care about the racket he was making as he clanked and smashed his was down the hall, he just needed to get to the end. He needed to end this long ordeal once and for all. And Edward knew the end would be soon.

"Dammit Kimblee!" Ed shouted as he pounded his fists on the empty walls that surrounded him. He felt trapped, as if the three walls were closing in on him. He pounded as hard as he could in hopes that maybe Kimblee would open them if he continued.

"Edward!" Izumi shouted, pulling Ed away from the walls.

"Relax kid," Darius said.

"Open up Kimblee!" Ed yelled as he pounded his fist on the door once more.

He was so horribly sick and tired of being placed in Kimblee's palm and being forced into doing whatever sick things he was threatened to do. Ed wanted to be the one to boss people around and he did not feel like listening to anyone's orders, no matter if they were reasonable or not.

"Edward!" Hohenheim yelled, as he placed a hand on Ed's shoulder.

Just as Ed picked up his fists to pound on the door again, the door disappeared in the wall, revealing another chunk of the hallway to the group. Had it not been for Hohenheim's grip on his shoulder, Ed would have fell face first onto the cold floor.

"What do we do now?" Roy whispered staring at the hall.

The hallway was no longer a straight shot. It split into two halls that veered off into the opposite sides. They would have to split up. And Ed thought he knew what was at the end of both of the halls.

"We have to split up," Ed said, taking a step forwards to peer into both of the halls. "I'm sure Kimblee's got the kids stuck on one side while he's hiding on the other."

"Do you think he'd really do that?" Al asked quietly.

"It'd be best if we split up anyways," Izumi said. "We'll cover more ground."

The groups quickly dissolved into two groups: Edward, Hohenheim, and Heinkel and then Alphonse, Izumi, Roy, and Darius. Edward's group would go down the right while Al's would go down the left. It would be next to impossible to communicate with each other seeing as their cell phones no longer got any quality reception down there and half of their phone batteries were about to die anyways, their owners unable to charge them over the hectic days.

The lighting continued down the left corridor as it had in the other with soft yellow lights every now and again. Izumi led the group while Darius protected them from behind leaving Al and Roy in relative safety between them.

It felt as if they had been walking for an hour when they finally were forced to stop. A wall with a small, square window stood in front of them. The glass on the window was pristinely clean; again proving just how many people had probably came down here.

"What do you think is in there?" Al whispered.

"How do we get in there is my question," Roy muttered as he looked around for a tell-tale key-card slot like the other door.

"Can anyone see in there?" Izumi asked, peering to the dark room.

"Let me take a look," Darius said as he pulled a heavy mag-lite off of his belt and shinned it at the thick glass panel.

"What do you see?" Izumi asked urgently.

* * *

The walk down the hallway seemed to take a lifetime for Edward. As much as he wished to find the children, he hoped that he had picked Kimblee's hallway so that he could let out some seriously pent-up anger on the man. He wanted-no- needed to hurt Kimblee, beat him, pulverize him, or else Ed felt like he would go insane.

His father and Heinkel were silent. Ed was not sure if he wanted the two silent or to talk so that maybe he could relax his pounding heart and unset mind.

The yellow lights started to become farther and few between, meaning that sometimes the three men were almost in total darkness. Heinkel had a flashlight on his belt but they never used it, seeing as soon as it became too dark, it would lighten up again in another minute. Finally, when Ed thought he was about to lose it, they stopped.

A thick, steal door stood in front of them. It was ominous and Ed felt as if he had picked the correct hallway; Kimblee had to be on the other side. But how would they open it?

"_Kimblee_," Ed growled, hoping yelling and releasing a bit of his temper would suffice as a key to the door like before.

"Do you think he's on the other side?" Heinkel asked Hohenheim behind Ed's back.

"I think it's a high possibility."

"_Open. Up_," Ed hissed between clenched teeth as he tightened his fists.

He knew that Kimblee could hear him. He had before and he would now. There were probably microphones and video cameras all along the passage way to alert Kimblee of intruders. If that was the case, Kimblee would have known that they were on their way hours ago.

"Edw-," Hohenheim said calmly before he was cut off by the soft crackle of a loud speaker.

"_As you wish Eddy."_

The metal door swung open a moment later. The three men stood frozen for a moment at the doors opening for a while, unsure and a little scared. Ed took a deep breath and walked forward quickly before his father could stop him.

"Kimblee," Ed said in a loud voice that rung out in a small echo.

The room was dark, too dark for Edward to see unassisted. Hohenheim and Heinkel stepped in after Edward, afraid that they might lose him if they were separate, even by a few feet, for too long. Heinkel fumbled with the flash light on his belt for a moment before he got it up and shone it into the abyss.

"Kimblee," Edward growled as he stared at the man in front of him.

Sitting there, in a comfortable, high-backed leather chair was Zolf Kimblee. He wore his usual, unpleasant grimace of a smile and looked completely at easy with being found relaxing in a chair, a couple stories underground, and in the dark.

"I see you've found me," he said in a soft whisper that sent chills up Edward's spine before he let his eyes drift to the other two men in the room. "Well done."

"_Zolf_," Hohenheim hissed with a murderous expression on his face.

"Hohenheim," he said pleasantly as if he were greeting a friend instead of an old adversary, "I see you're looking astonishingly well."

"The game is up Zolf. Give up the children and we'll go easy on you."

"Oh?" Kimblee said, as his eyebrow quirked comically high into his hairline. "But that's where you are wrong my dear friend, the game is just beginning."

Before anyone could react or say another word, Kimblee moved his hand upwards astonishingly fast before a shot rang out. The flashlight dropped and flickered out.

* * *

"…There they are," Darius whispered breathlessly.

"What?"

"Th-they're there!" he shouted, turning to shine the light into the other's faces. "I see all three of them, sitting right in there!"

"What?" all three of them cried before Al wrestled the light from Darius's hands and shined it into the room to see for himself.

Al would not have believed it if he had not seen it himself. There, sitting with their arms and legs tied up with piece of cloth covering their mouths, were the three children Edward had shown pictures of: Terry, Sammy, and little Kyle. They did not move at the light or noise but appeared to be sleeping due to the rhythmic moving of their bodies.

"They're alive," Al whispered, feeling a great sense of relief wash over him. He knew Edward would have been devastated if a single one had been hurt and had continued to pray that they were fine.

"How do we get them out of there?" Roy asked urgently.

"Do you think this glass is bullet proof?" Darius asked as he tapped the window with one of his thick knuckles.

"Maybe," Izumi muttered, folding her arms across her chest. "Probably. Why?"

"Because I could always try and break it and see what happens," Darius muttered as he pulled a revolver off of his belt and pointed it at the glass.

"I don't know if that's such a good idea," Roy muttered. "What if it's not bullet-proof?"

"Then the glass will stop the bullet before it can break."

"Well than what if it hits one of them?"

"I doubt that it will. My aims not that bad."

"Oh that's reassuring."

"Well how else are we supposed to get them out of there?"

"Darius," Izumi said. "Try it. But try to aim as far away from any of them as you can or it'll be your head Edward takes."

"Yeah, yeah," he muttered as he set his gun up to aim. "I suggest covering your ears right about now."

The shot rang out with plenty of shattering glass afterwards. It turns out that the window was not bullet proof after all. There was plenty of high pitched screaming after a moment that the other had not taken in account for. The gun shot had obviously woken up the three children and probably scared the Hell out of them as well.

"Sammy!" Al yelled as Darius cleared away broken pieces of glass from the frame with his gun. "Terry! Kyle! Are you guys alright?"

"…wh-who's there…?" asked a very timid voice.

"…I-it's Alphonse. Alphonse Elric. I'm Edward's younger brother."

"Alphonse?" the voice asked again; this time Al was sure it was Sammy who was speaking seeing as the voice was too feminine for Terry or even little Kyle. "I-is Edward here?"

Al wanted to cry at the young girl's voice. She sounded so desperate to see Edward again that he wished that Ed had been there with them when they found the kids.

"He's not he with us but… but he is here in the building," Al said loudly through the glass. "He and our dad went to try and find Kimblee. Well I mean…" Al did not want it to appear as if Ed had chosen finding Kimblee over saving them. "We had to split up a while back and we're guessing that they'll find Kimblee."

"Oh…"

"But uh, do you think you guys could get out of there?"

"How?" drawled a slightly manlier voice that most likely belonged to Terry. "We're tied up and the door only opens for Kimblee."

"Hey Kids," Darius said as he pushed Al a bit out of the way and shined the light into the hole. "How are you tied up?"

"Rope," Sammy answered. "Just rope on our wrists and ankles."

"Yeah and it's giving me one Hell of a rope burn," Terry muttered.

"Is that really all?"

"Yeah."

"Hmm…"

"He obviously wasn't that intent on keeping them locked up if someone managed to get down here," Izumi muttered. "Regular glass, no guards, not even regular hand-cuffs."

"Does anyone have a knife that we could give to them to cut off their ropes?" Darius asked, turning to face the others.

"I do!" Roy exclaimed as he dug his hands into both of his pockets before pulling out his pocket knife.

"Good," he said before turning around and looking back into the room. "Hey kids!"

"What?"

"We're going to toss in a pocket knife; do you think you would be able to cut yourselves free?"

"We could try," Sammy answered. "Send it in."

"Be careful," Darius said before he grabbed the pocket knife from Roy's hands and tossed it gently through the hole.

"Do you think you could try to shine the light over here?" Sammy asked as she began to carefully saw through the ropes on Terry's wrist.

"Sure."

Minute after minute passed as each of them slowly cut through the thick rope bonds. Sammy eventually got through the ones on Terry's wrists and ankles before he turned and slowly cut through the ones on Sammy. She then moved to the corner where Kyle lay, seemingly unconscious because he did not react to anything but there was a steady rise and fall of his chest.

"We're done," Sammy called out, sounding exhausted.

"So how do we get them out now?" Roy asked.

"So you think you could fit through the window?" Izumi asked, peering at its size.

It was big enough for a small child to fit through but she wasn't so sure about how Sammy and Terry would fit through it.

"Kyle could easily fit," Terry muttered. "Let's get him up and through."

"Right."

Carefully, the two children, slightly weakened by their lack of sustenance, brought the sleeping boy up the window frame and slowly slide his head through. His shoulders passed through easily, which meant that the rest of him would as well.

"Okay now, Sammy, climb on my shoulders," Terry said. "And see if you can get through the hole."

"O-okay Terry," Sammy said uncertainly before she kissed him gently on the cheek.

"Just get on with it!" Terry exclaimed, face red with embarrassment.

"Sorry."

Sammy climbed onto Terry's back before she move up onto his shoulders and began to crawl through the small hole.

"Ow…" Sammy winced as she scrapped her forearm on a small piece of glass.

"Careful…" Darius muttered as he carefully pulled the girl through the hole. "There you go."

Once out, Sammy was set gently on the floor next to Kyle. She could hear Terry jump up and grip onto the window and struggled to get through. Sammy had to be a little grateful that Kimblee had starved them during their imprisonment or else they might not have fitted through the hole. As soon as Terry was out, Sammy felt herself being picked up and placed in Darius' large arms.

"What now?" Al asked as he carefully picked up Kyle.

"Easy," Roy answered as Terry climbed onto his back. "We go and find Ed."

* * *

"HEINKEL!" Edward yelled as he turned to watch the blond officer fall to the floor, gripping his left shoulder.

Another shot rang out just above Edward's head and he knew that it was not meant to hit him, just to shut him up. He wanted to go and check on the wounded man but he also wanted to attack the man who had just shot the bullet.

"Now," Kimblee said, grinning. "I think it's time we ended this."

"What do you mean by that Zolf?" Hohenheim asked with both hands raised in surrender.

"I mean all of this," he said as he got up off his seat and began to move his gun from Ed to Hohenheim. "All of the lying and deceitful behavior that seems to be rather prominent in this family of yours."

"Why?"

"…Why not?" Kimblee asked with an evil grin.

"You can't be doing all of this just because I took Trisha from you?" Hohenheim asked in disbelief.

"Hmm… perhaps I am. Or maybe I'm just doing all this because I forgot to pay the cable bill this month and I have nothing entertaining to watch. Who knows?"

Edward gritted his teeth as he suppressed the strong urge to scream and attack the man. But he knew the outcome of that quite clearly; he would end up next to Heinkel on the floor, bleeding profusely from a gunshot wound.

"Or maybe I am really doing all this because of what you did to me, my friend. And maybe I took your little snot-nosed brats because I knew that you would turn me in the moment you returned home with you daddy and wittle brother. So I guess you can both be equally guilty for why I'm doing this."

"Kimblee," Hohenheim growled. "Why would you hold a grudge for so long? And why would you continue when you already got our revenge? You killed her years ago! SO why do you continue?"

"Why?" Kimblee asked. "Because even though I hated that whore for leaving me and sneaking around my back, I still did not _want_her to die. I wanted you to die, my dear friend Hohenheim. And after years of dealing with your brat, I've decided that he is too much like father for my liking… so he's free to go as well."

"Kimblee-!"

_BANG! BANG!_

Hohenheim fell to the ground hard as he tried to stop the thick bleeding in his upper arm and the graze on his shin. Edward stood, dumbfounded as he stared at Kimblee. He had shot his father and Heinkel.

_That bastard…_

"AGHH!" Edward yelled as he began to run towards Kimblee, enraged.

"EDWARD!" Hohenheim yelled out as he reached a bloodied hand towards his eldest son.

_BANG! BANG!_

Edward felt his face fall flat onto the floor but did not feel the pain he had been expecting. He expected agony as the bullets entered his body and tore through his muscles but… there was nothing. Well, not nothing but defiantly not anything close to pain. After a moment, Ed realized that he had not been shot. The bullets had only grazed his left cheek and left arm. The tight grip around his ankle told Ed that his father had forced him down and saved his life.

_Should I get up?_

After a moment of debate, Edward pushed himself up with his arms and looked up to stare down the revolvers gun barrel. Kimblee was holding it a mere inch away from his forehead and was smiling gleefully.

"Any last words for the kiddies Eddy? How about you little girlfriend?"

Edward opened his mouth to speak words but did not know what he was going to say. And Kimblee would never hear them because the loud blast of another gun drowned out whatever garbled words he was going to say.

Edward turned his head around in amazement to see his father sitting upright, looking exhausted but alive in his eyes and with a gun in his own hand. After a moment of shock, he realized that it must have come off of Heinkel belt, remembering seeing a gun holster on him hours ago.

"You will leave my family alone," Hohenheim whispered in a deadly voice a Kimblee fell to his knees, blood blossoming from where he was shot.

_BANG!_

"You will not harm anyone ever again!"

_BANG!_

Kimblee fell onto all fours.

"And you will have to deal with your wrong-doing in Hell."

_BANG!_

Kimblee fell onto his back with the force as his cold grey eyes began to fade and blood spurted out of his mouth. Panting slightly, Hohenheim tossed the gun to the other side of the room as if it was poisonous before he collapsed onto his back.

"DAD!" Ed cried as he crawled over to him. "DAD! Are you alright?"

"'M fine Edward…" he said weakly. "I just need to rest…"

"NO! You can't leave me! We still need you! I still need you, dammit!"

"I'm not going anywhere Edward…not anymore. I won't leave you two boys again."

"G-good," Ed whispered as he tried to push away the tears that were coming to his eyes. Whether form exhaustion or simply from the emotional roller coast he had been put through, he did not know or really care.

"Heinkel," Ed said, turning to look at the pale man. "Are you going to be alright?"

"Think so. We just need some damn help to get us out of here. I don't think I can walk."

"That's perfect," Ed muttered, pushing bangs passed his ears.

"Did someone say they needed some help?"

Edward looked up and saw, to his immense astonishment and undeniable relief, Alphonse, Roy, Izumi, and Darius standing there but the most important thing was what they were holding.

"_Edward_!" Sammy cried out, nearly jumping out of Darius' hold. "Eddy! Are you alright? Are you hurt?"

"I'm fine Sammy," Ed whispered as he tried to calm the sobbing girl. "More importantly, are you alright?"

Sammy nodded furiously as tears ran down her dirty face like a waterfall. Edward wrapped an arm around the girl and looked up to see Terry smiling at him.

"And you?"

"I'll be fine in a bit," he said with a tired sigh. "Kyle will be just fine too. He just got a bad bump on the head and is running low on food."

Edward nodded, unable to speak for his throat suddenly became constricted with bottled up emotions. Terry came and sat down next to him and leaned against him before Ed wrapped his remaining arm around Terry. How long they sat like that, no one really knew. But eventually, Edward, cleared his throat, rubbed his blurry eyes, and looked up at the others.

"Let's get out of here."

* * *

***sniff* so touching... :P (DIE KIMBLEE DIE! GO PAPA HOHO!)**

**So, again, the next chapter will BE THE LAST. So be prepared and have your tissues ready when you see the update. :P (partially serious. I'm pretty sure I'm going to at least tear up.)**

**Please send me a review so that I know how you liked it! :D**

**-FSK**


	41. Epilouge: Promises Kept

***deep calming breaths, deep calming breaths* **

**So, um, here were are, the last chapter of Brotherhood... **

**Um... yeah, I'd like to thank all of you who have read, favorited, alerted, and reviewed this story so that it could get to the story it is today. It's hard to believe that I thought this story idea up in about twenty minutes a little after I started out on FanFiction in December. This story has sure come a long way from the twenty chapter max estimate that I gave it back in chapter two and I'm so glad that it doubled in size. **

**Without this story and all of your encouraging (and sometimes threatening) reviews, I don't know if I would be were I am today in the way I write and with the confidence that what I'm putting out for people to read it good and interesting.**

**So, before you begin the end of the long story, I'd like to thank one last time for my amazing friend and beta Dani for her help on this chapter and the last few chapters; even though her help was a bit late in the game, she sure helped me a lot and made my chapters of better quality for you to read, so thank her as well.**

**I hope you enjoy reading this as much as I enjoyed writing this last chapter and I do hope you all don't get too upset while reading.**

* * *

Edward did not know what to say or even think when he had heard the news; heard the news that there had been an accident, choreographed by Kimblee, and Maes and Jean had been badly injured. It had been physically painful to go from such happiness, after finding the children in relatively good health and getting rid of Kimblee once and for all, to finding out that he may lose one of his very best friends while another may even lose his legs.

Edward and his friends had practically set up camp in the hospital for several days afterwards; he had his own father to worry about as well, as he had been shot by Kimblee along with the slightly malnourished children. The police had wanted to start a court investigation within hours of their arrival at the hospital, but Edward wanted no part in such a thing when his mind was in such a mess. The officials gave him only a few days time before they would launch their investigation in full.

On the third day of waiting, it was told that Jean would not lose either of his legs and would regain full mobility after the bones had healed and he had gone through some minor physical therapy. But Maes had still not woken up from the coma that he had been in since the accident.

His parents had barely left his side for more than a moment ever since they had received the news. Edward and the others had been allowed to see him once or twice a day for a few minutes, hoping that familiar voices would help him back. Edward did not see Maes every time visitation was offered, mostly because he did not feel that the pulverize piece of flesh in the bed, hooked up to God only knows what, did not look like his friend at all.

Edward spent most of his time in pediatrics with the three children and told them stories about the good things that had happened while in Florida. Alphonse often went to see the children as well and quickly created a bond with the children. Sammy and Terry could have been discharged a day or two after leaving but Kyle had to stay longer.

After a week had passed, Maes still lay in his coma and the police had started to initiate the investigation in full. Hohenheim had been forced to stay two nights in the police station after he had said that he had killed Kimblee; the police had already had plenty of evidence on Kimblee's misdemeanors but the information on kidnapping and child abuse was new to them. They asked of several testimonies from Edward, Sammy, Terry, Kyle, and even Ed's friends to help confirm questions on Kimblee on the abuse and asked Heinkel and Darius about what they had found at the warehouse. There was going to be a trial in a few months to help tie up the lose ends for the courts.

When the children were finally discarded, Ed did not know of where to go. He did not want to go back to that horrid house that brought them all together but there were very few options to choose from. After talking it over with his father, he had decided to stay at the same hotel that Al, Izumi, and Sig where staying at, as it was close to the hospital.

People from their classes at school began to hear of Jean and Maes and they were soon flooded with guest everyday, the nursing staff had to create a timed schedule of when people could see them. Maes's parents encouraged the kids to come and see their son, hoping that all of his friends would help Maes in waking up but with everyday, people seemed to lose hope. The doctors had done a scan of his brain and it showed that Maes was not brain-dead as feared, meaning that he could still wake up and it would be wrong to take him off the life support.

Edward did not want to lose hope as people from the school and community did; instead, he pushed past his uncomfortable feelings with staying by Maes and began to spend more and more time with him. Roy often stayed with him during the nights, being Maes's best friend, and even Gracia, the girl Maes could not stop gushing over since last year, would come by once a day and stay with them. They all hoped and prayed that Maes would get past this, saying he was strong and would keep on. Ed just wanted everyone to be happy and in the end, everyone would…

* * *

Three Years Later

Edward exhaled as he lay back on the soft green grass of his back yard. It was a gorgeous summer afternoon and everyone was out and about having a good time. So much had changed since the summer three years prior, it was almost staggering to think of everything that had happened.

The court case with Kimblee had been over soon after it had started; the evidence was so staggering that the jury soon got on the side of Edward. Hohenheim as not convicted of anything or had any mention of the death of Kimblee on his record, saying it was in complete defense for himself and his child.

Edward got the house demolished; he never wanted to look at the cold, dark house ever again. After that, Hohenheim began to work on the construction of a grand but simple house on the outskirts of the town, large enough to have many visitors come and go at one time. Seeing as Edward was only sixteen at the time, Hohenheim took the guardianship of Sammy, Terry, and Kyle and had them live in the grand house with them as one happy family. Alphonse moved in with his blood family the Junior and Senior years of high school but still visited his foster parents and his friends at least once a month.

Maes woke up from his coma a little over a month after his accident but had temporary memory loss from it. His friends spent the first day they were allowed to see him for more than ten minutes explaining all that had happened to him until his memories came back; the last thing he had remembered was meeting Alphonse. Jean's legs eventually healed and was revived one-hundred percent by the time junior year began. Jean found that his accident left a lasting impression on some of the girls in the high school and soon found an increase in dating aspects.

Last year, Edward, Winry, Roy, Riza, Maes, Jean, Sheska, and Gracia graduated from high school and were now enjoying their first summer as college students. There were many worried thoughts and conversations but after Roy, Jean, and Maes's trip of back-packing across Europe during last summer, Sheska's worry that she would not get into the same college as everyone else, a boat-load of drama between Roy and Riza's wobbly new relationship, the group found themselves enrolled in the same college as everyone else.

Now, three summers after one of the best and worst summers ever, Edward found himself relaxing in his large backyard as he listened to the noises of his best friends and family happily playing and enjoying themselves that fourth of July.

"Thirsty?"

Edward opened one eye and saw Winry sitting next to him holding out a cold can of soda for him. Ed smiled at her before he sat up and took the drink from her hand.

"Thanks."

"No problem."

Edward took a long drink from the can and let the icy-cool beverage cool him off from the summer sun. Even though the sun was setting, it still was a bit too hot out for his automail. Ed tried his best to hold in the loud belch that wanted to break forth after chugging the carbonated drink.

"So when is Al going back to visit Izumi and Sig?" Winry asked.

"Next weekend. He's planning on spending the last two weeks of July with them."

"Are you gonna miss him?"

"I was kinda thinking of road-tripping down there with some of the guys to hang out with him."

"I never want to drive a straight twenty-something hours ever again. No matter how much anyone pays me."

"I didn't have to pay you last time we went," Edward said with a tiny smile.

"Well that was different; it was a bit of an emergency situation and-."

"And you wanted to do it because you love me," Ed said with a large grin at the young blond, who blushed slightly at his words.

"…So?" the blond asked as she casually sipped her drink. When Winry spoke again she was speaking so rushed that Ed could hardly understand her half the time. "I've always loved you and you've always loved me and we always know that if we are in desperate need of help we can go to each other and we'll help one another."

Ed couldn't help but let out a few chuckles at her nervous nature. Ed and Winry had finally become an actual couple right before their junior year of high school. It had been an interesting scene when they walked into school that first day, hand in hand, and had to answer to about fifty people that _yes,_ they were _finally_ 'together'.

"What?" Winry asked a bit defensively when Ed continued to smile at her.

"Nothing. I just love that I can depend on you is all."

Winry smiled gently at him before she reached out and gripped his empty left hand before giving it a bit of a squeeze. Winry leaned closer to Edward so as to kiss him but the two were interrupted before there could be any lip contact.

"_Hey love-birds_! Quit with the PDA! You're gonna make someone hurl!"

Ed turned to see Terry, now sixteen-years-old, standing a few feet away from them, with a Frisbee under on arm. He had grown out his hair a little from the previous buzz cut and he had sprouted up quiet a bit over the past summers and was now a good five inches taller from his thirteen-year-old self.

"Well Terry, once you finally get the courage to ask out your little crush, I'm sure you won't mind indulging in some PDA," he said with a devious smile.

"What do you mean?" Terry asked with a raised eyebrow, cheeks flushing the faintest of pinks.

"You know what and who I mean," Ed said as he nodded his head over to the young brunette who was eating at a picnic table, talking to an older Kyle.

Sammy, now fifteen-years-old, was defiantly a lot more feminine that her former self. She had grown out her short bob and grew out her brown hair past her shoulders. She had fully hit puberty and now looked like any other teenaged girl; it was a bit odd for Ed to see a girl who was like a little sister to grow up before his eyes. Sammy was just as nurturing and caring as she was before, often making sure that both Terry and Kyle had their homework down for school the night before and usually took care of most of the laundry in the household, no matter what anyone insisted.

Kyle was now twelve-years old and would soon outgrown Sammy if he kept up with his growth spurt. His sandy blond locks had grown out a little bit and his large eyes had been grown into, making him lose some of the innocence in his face. He was still a soft-spoken boy and was often pushed into doing things by his pseudo-siblings.

"_Shut up_! She's like, my sister or something!" Terry exclaimed, bright-red cheeks and ears showing his embarrassment to the whole world.

"Uh-huh," Winry said slyly. "Keep telling yourself that."

"Ugh…" Terry grumbled with clenched teeth as he turned away from Ed and his snickering at him. "You two are _so _annoying!"

"Now why do you always fight with him?" She asked as she gave her boyfriend a light slap on the head. "He's gonna throw a punch one day."

"Yeah and I'll be ready for it."

Winry rolled her eyes before she pushed herself up off of the ground.

"Where you going?"

"I was going to see where the other had run off to; you wanna come with me?"

"Sure."

It was true; it seemed that their friends had run off somewhere. The three younger children were all sitting at the small picnic table and Hohenheim, Izumi, and Sig were all standing around the grill on the patio, laughing and relaxing with food or drinks in their hands.

Edward and Winry walked into air conditioned house and began walking through the lower levels and only continued upstairs when they found that none of their friends were to be found.

"Think they're on the top deck?" Edward muttered as he poked his head into one of the last rooms on the top floor.

"Most likely."

As Ed and Winry moved towards the hall to get to the top deck, they began to hear voices that clearly belonged to their friends.

"Dammit, we're did Ed go?" Jean asked.

"He probably figured something out and went to investigate," Roy muttered.

"Oh I hope he doesn't find out what we're doing before hand!" Sheska fretted.

"It's about time he figured something out," Maes said with contained laughter in his voice. "You've been trying to plan this surprise for about a month now."

"A month? More like a whole freakin' year man!"

"If you get the cops or the fire department called on us again, I swear I am so not covering for you Jean," Riza threatened.

"Come on Riza! I already have like, two strikes against me!"

"And whose fault is that exactly?" Al asked.

"The people who ratted me out, that's who!"

"Jean, you do know that it's illegal to try and cover up a crime," Gracia said in an exasperated tone.

"_Pff_… only if they have hard evidence."

"They had you on camera you dumbass," Edward said as he made himself known to his friends.

Half of the group jumped a little at his voice but a few like Riza, Maes, and Al kept their cool. Jean quickly tried to cover up the evidence of whatever he was planning on doing.

"What are you planning on doing to my house Havoc?" Ed asked with a small sigh.

"Nothin'. Why do you ask that?" Jean said as he used his body to pin down a large blue tarp onto whatever he was attempting to hide.

"Just fess up Jean, what are you hiding?" Winry asked.

"Just tell him dude," Maes said with a smile that said that he wanted to burst out laughing any minute now.

"Fine," Jean muttered, sounding quite depressed.

With a swift movement, Jean took a corner of the tarp, lifted it up and moved it out of the way so that Edward could see what was hidden underneath.

"Oh jeez…" Winry said, covering her face with one of her hands.

"No way in Hell Jean," Ed said, staring at what lay beneath the tarp.

"Why the Hell not?" Jean exclaimed.

"Because I don't want you blowing up my freaking house!"

Lying in front of Ed was a large pile of fireworks of all different sizes, colors, and explosions. It was worrying some to see so many explosives in the hands of someone like Jean with a pyro like Roy nearby.

"Come on! It's the Fourth of July man! It's our birth right to spend the day, gorging ourselves on food that shouldn't be qualified as actual meat and blowing shit up!"

"Because that is what the founding fathers would have wanted," Roy added with a smirk.

"Exactly," Jean said seriously.

"Doesn't matter. This isn't your house that you're blowing this shit up at. It's mine."

"But we wanted it to be a little surprise celebration for you," Sheska said. "We don't get a chance to throw as many crazy parties like we used to."

"Really?" Ed asked skeptically. "Because that paint took about a month to get off of the walls in my dorm and that party was pretty epic."

"That's not the point!"Jean yelled before he picked up a blow torch from the floor and turned to look Ed dead in the eye. "Look, I bought these fireworks illegally and I'm gonna blow them up whether you like it or not, mister."

"Oh geez," Ed muttered. "Whatever. But do you _have_ to do it up here… on the _very flammable_ and_ wooden_ deck?"

"Hmm," Roy said, turning to look at Jean. "That is a good idea."

"Something that I've been begging for the past hour and a half," Al sighed quietly. "I don't think dad would be very pleased if his deck caught on fire."

"Fine, fine," Jean said, flapping his free hand at them all. "if you people are so worried in my abilities-."

"We're terrified," Riza said.

"Ha-ha, very funny Riza," Jean said, deadpanned. "But if you are all so willing to lessen the epicness of the moment by moving the location to a _safer_ place, then so be it."

* * *

Once the sun had gone down completely, Jean, Roy, and Maes moved the fireworks into the grassy field far away from where the others were sitting and began the show.

It was loud-ear-drum shattering at sometimes-, bright-almost to the point of blindness sometimes-, and absolutely gorgeous. With the many bright and colorful pinwheels choreographed beautifully, Ed might have guess that they were professionals if it weren't for the fact that he knew that they were just guessing and messing around as they shot off one after another.

Ed gripped Winry's hand as he leaned against the porch railing and smiling happily at the scene. This is what he had wanted for years now, to be happy and to have all the people who he cared about to be happy with him. A few years ago, he might not have believed that he still had family that cared about him and missed him and could have ever escaped from Kimblee's harsh rule. But he found his family and finally escaped from it all with loved ones.

Ed glance over at Al, who was standing next to him, laughing hysterically as Jean almost caught on fire for the third time tonight, and threw his right arm around his neck. Al seemed slightly surprised at the gesture at first but soon got used to it and laughed with his older brother.

_How could I have ever forgotten a kid like this? _Ed thought as he stared at the amazing guy who just happened to be his brother.

"What's up Brother?" Al yelled over a pack of Chinese fireworks.

"…Nothing!" Ed said with a small shake of the head. "I'm just having a great time!"

"That's good!" Al yelled back before giving Ed a bright white smile.

_Even for a minute?_

It had been a long and arduous road but once Edward was finally here, happy and healthy with all of his closest friends and family, he realized that maybe it was worth it all in the end, seeing as nothing this great could have come out of nothing. Ed would just have to hope that that in exchange, for all of the years of pain and suffering and all of the unknowns, he would be happy and content for a long time afterwards.

**The End **

* * *

**...*sniff***

**So, again I would like to reiterate what I said at the top and just thank all of you for being such amazing readers and helpers to me when I need a good push to write. :D You guys are amazing and I don't know what I would have done if you weren't here for me to torture you with my endless amount of cliffhangers.**

**But, before too many of you start to feel the symptoms of withdrawal (I think I'm starting to feel it) I would like to tell you all now that I have decided to draw a collage of pictures from the last chapter and then create side stories on it (much like I do with the story, Journey's End) I do not know when I'll get to it exactly because I first have to finish the picture and I just started sketching it out last night before I went to sleep. I hope most of you keep an eye out for that to help you along with your loss.**

**I would also like to remind everyone who may not have seen that I will be planning on putting up a new AU FMA fic in about a week or so and I hope many of you who have enjoyed this story go and check it out when I put it up. Story summary and info can be found on my account here.**

**So, for the last time, goodbye and I hope you really enjoyed not only the chapter, but the entire story.**

**~Fun-Sized Kirk**


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